Women’s basketball team defeated by Hope, 78-70

The Olivet College women's basketball team was defeated by Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) foe Hope College, 78-70, tonight at the DeVos Fieldhouse in Holland.

The Flying Dutch (19-2, 11-2 MIAA) built a six-point lead, 20-14, with 11:14 left in the first half. The Comets (10-10, 7-6 MIAA) scored six straight points to tie the game at 20-20. Hope went back up by five points, 29-24, at the 6:12 mark. Over the next five minutes, Olivet came back to take a four-point lead, 38-34. At halftime, the Comets held a 40-39 lead.

In the first 49 seconds of the second half, Olivet had a pair of four-point leads. A three-pointer by Jordyn Boles put Hope by one point, with 18:06 left. The Dutch stretched their lead to nine points on four occasions in the half with the last time being 74-65 at the 1:35 mark. After the Comets scored five straight points to cut their deficit to four points, Hope made four free throws to seal its victory.

Senior Stephanie Smith (Waldron/Camden Frontier) led all scorers with 17 points on six-of-10 shooting from the floor and two-of-two from the free throw line. Junior Amy Brackenwagen (Grand Ledge) scored 16 points, followed by senior Audrey Graham (Battle Creek/Lakeview) with 13 points. Junior Jaime Kowalczyk (Wyandotte/ Roosevelt) grabbed a game-high eight rebounds.

Off the bench, Sarah Jurik and Kaitlyn Kopke each scored 11 points to lead the Dutch. Stacy Warsen contributed 10 points, while Ellen Wood had a team-high six rebounds and three blocks.

The Comets are back in action Saturday afternoon when they host Alma College at 3 p.m.