Women’s basketball loses to #4 Hope, 74-47

HOLLAND, Mich. – The Olivet College women's basketball team fell to Hope College 74-47 tonight at the DeVos Fieldhouse in Holland.

Each team scored a basket on its first time with the ball. Hope, ranked No. 4 in this week's D3hoops.com Top 25 poll, built a five-point lead, 12-7. The Comets responded with a 9-0 scoring spurt to take their largest lead, 16-12, of the game. The Flying Dutch answered with its own 17-2 run to take a double digit lead, 29-18, at the 9:02 mark.

Hope stretched its lead to as many as 19 points twice in the first half, including 42-23 at halftime. In the second half, Olivet would only get as close as 17 points before the Dutch led by 33 points.

Sophomore Stefanie Lang (Valparaiso, Ind.) posted her first double-double in a Comet uniform with a team-high 11 points and game-high 10 rebounds. Senior Sydney Radde (Stevensville/Lakeshore) joined her in double figures with 10 points. Juniors Kelsey Campbell (Olivet) and Chelsea Ciba (Olivet) each had four assists. 

Brittany Berry paced Hope with 12 points, all on four 3-pointers in the first half. Rebekah Llorens and Maura McAfee scored 10 points apiece. Courtney Kust grabbed a team-leading six rebounds.

The Comets will return to the west side of Michigan on Saturday when they play MIAA leader Calvin College. Tip-off inside the Van Noord Arena in Grand Rapids is 3 p.m.