Special Olympians are Guests of Flying Dutch
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Special Olympics participants from the Holland area were the guests of the Hope women's basketball team for a skills workshop at DeVos Fieldhouse. Nearly 70 Olympians joined coach Brian Morehouse and his team for the annual event. The support of Special Olympics is special focus of NCAA Division III institutions.

Defense Keys Flying Dutch Victory Over Olivet (2/8/12)
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The Flying Dutch overcame a cold shooting performance with outstanding defense in gaining a 48-36 home victory over Olivet on Wednesday. Coach Brian Morehouse's Flying Dutch improved to 10-2 in conference games and at 19-3 are within a victory of the team's 14th consecutive 20-win season.

For the fifth time this season Hope held an opponent under 40 points. It helped offset Hope's 27% field goal shooting clip. Maddie Burnett led the Flying Dutch with 15 points while Liz Ellis added 13. Hope took advantage of 23 Olivet turnovers highlighted by 13 steals.

Flying Dutch Tag Rival Calvin With Season's First Loss (2/4/12)
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In a showdown of nationally ranked teams, the Flying Dutch stunned a previously undefeated rival Calvin 59-55 on Saturday before more than 2,800 DeVos Fieldhouse fans. The Knights came in with a spotless 20-0 record, which included a 13-point triumph over the Flying Dutch earlier in the season. Coach Brian Morehouse's Dutch responded with a clutch performance to improve to 18-3, including 10-2 in conference games. Hope trails Calvin by one game in the MIAA race with four games remaining.

The Flying Dutch led by two points at halftime, 26-24, and opened the lead to 11 points, 42-31, eight minutes into the second half. Calvin came storming back to go ahead 47-45 with four minutes left to play. A three-point basket by Liz Ellis and three-point play by Maddie Burnett put Hope back in command, 51-47, with 2:25 to go. Hope would not look back, but not before making clutch free throws. The last two by Allie Cerone gave Hope its four-point lead with four seconds left.

Cerone and Courtney Kust shared scoring honors with 13 points while freshman Rebekah Llorens came off the bench for her fourth double-double of the season, 12 points and 10 rebounds (nine defensive).

Flying Dutch Rally for Key Road Victory (1/28/12)
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The Flying Dutch rallied from a nine-point halftime deficit to post a key road victory over Saint Mary's on Saturday, 77-73. Coach Brian Morehouse's Dutch improved to 9-2 in conference games and are 17-3 heading into their bye week. Next for the Dutch will be undefeated rival Calvin at home on Saturday.

The host Belles led 47-38 at halftime. Four minutes into the second half the Saint Mary's lead was two points, 37-35. Two minutes later the Flying Dutch led 43-37 on an eight-point run. Four players scored in double figures for the Dutch led by junior Courtney Kust with 18, including 14 in the second half. Maddie Burnett followed with 16 points and Allie Cerone tallied 11. Freshman Rebekah Llorens recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Dutch Rebound to Gain Sole Possession of Second Place in MIAA (1/25/12)
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The memory of last week's upset loss to Albion was short-lived as the Flying Dutch rolled past host Kalamazoo 75-32 on Wednesday night. Coach Brian Morehouse's Dutch gained sole possession of second place in the MIAA race (8-2) and improved to 16-3 overall. This game was never in doubt as Hope jumped out ahead 16-0 as Kalamazoo was kept off the scoreboard for the first 12 minutes. Hope led 31-9 at the half. Rebekah Llorens led the Flying Dutch off the bench with 17 points behind 7-for-7 field goal shooting while Maddie Burnett added 14 and Liz Ellis 11. Katie Overway pulled down a collegiate career best 10 rebounds. Hope shot an improved 50% (31/62) from the floor and took advantage of 31 Kalamazoo turnovers behind 15 steals.

Flying Dutch Suffer Rare Home Defeat to Albion Britons
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The Flying Dutch suffered a rare home loss to a surging Albion Britons team Saturday, 63-46. The visitors, whose last loss was to Hope in early December, extended their winning streak to 11 in-a-row in moving into a second place tie with the Flying Dutch in the MIAA standings. Calvin tops the MIAA with a 9-0 mark while Hope and Albion are 7-2. The loss was only Hope's third in 107 games at DeVos Fieldhouse. Hope's perimeter shooting doomed the nationally ranked Flying Dutch. Hope was 0-for-16 from behind the three-point line in the first half and ended just 6-for-37 in treys for the game. Albion led 23-20 at halftime. Hope took a short-lived 28-27 lead three minutes into the second half, but Albion went on a seven-point run to take the lead for good. Liz Ellis led Hope with 18 points while Courtney Kust added 13. The Flying Dutch (15-3) shot just 23% in being held to a season-low point total. Albion, which lost to Hope by 25 points in an earlier meeting, was led by Patty Rewa with a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds.

Defense-Minded Dutch Dominate Thunder (1/18/12)
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The Flying Dutch turned up the defense in gaining a 67-34 conference victory over visiting Trine on Wednesday. Midway through the conference season, coach Brian Morehouse's Dutch are 7-1 against MIAA opponents and 15-2 overall. Playing at home for the first time in a month, Hope forced 25 Trine turnovers, including 16 steals, and dominated the boards with a 46-22 rebounding advantage. Maddie Burnett's outside shooting set an early tone as the nationally ranked Flying Dutch gained a 31-14 halftime lead. The senior co-captain shot four-for-five from three-point range entoute to a 14 point performance. Courtney Kust just missed a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds. All 12 Hope players who saw action scored and grabbed a rebound.

Flying Dutch Edge Adrian for 13th Victory (1/14/12)
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The Flying Dutch escaped with a 59-56 league victory over host Adrian on Saturday. Coach Brian Morehouse's Dutch remain a game behind MIAA leading Calvin with a 6-1 conference mark and are 13-2 overall. The teams exchanged the lead 18 times and were tied another seven times. The last was 54-54 with 3:13 remaining. Back-to-back baskets by Courtney Kust (2:09) and Allie Cerone (1:36) put Hope ahead to stay. No Hope starter reached double figures. Freshman Rebekah Llorens came off the bench to score 13 points.

Flying Dutch Bow to Rival Calvin (1/7/12)
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A slow start was too much for the Flying Dutch to overcome in suffering a 72-59 loss to rival Calvin on Saturday. The game between nationally ranked teams was played before more than 2,500 fans at fans. The Knights gain sole possession of first place in the MIAA standings (6-0) and remain undefeated on the season (13-0). Hope's 12-game winning streak came to an end as the Flying Dutch slip to 5-1 in the MIAA and 13-2 overall.

The Flying Dutch made just one of their first 13 shots in falling behind 13-3 in the first four minutes. Calvin led 32-19 at halftime as Hope shot a season-low 23%. Each team scored 40 points in the second half with the Flying Dutch holding a 14-10 advantage in baskets behind 44% shooting. Senior Maddie Burnett scored her 17 of her game-high 18 points in the second half. Liz Ellis added 12 points.

Flying Dutch Remain Tied for MIAA Lead (1/4/12)
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The stage is set for a showdown of league unbeaten rivals. The Flying Dutch on Wednesday extended their winning streak to 12 in-a-row with a 66-52 victory over Olivet. Calvin also won on Wednesday, an 81-29 rout of Kalamazoo, putting each of the two rivals at 5-0 in league play heading into a game Saturday between the nationally ranked teams at Calvin. Coach Brian Morehouse's Dutch are 13-1 overall.

Junior Courtney Kust scored a career-high 20 points while freshman Rebekah Llorens posted her third double-double in the last five games with 13 points and 12 rebounds, including 10 off the defensive board. Freshman Hannah Doell also had a career-night with eight points. Hope dominated the boards with a 46-29 rebounding advantage. The Flying Dutch were 17-for-19 on free throws as Kust and Llorens together were 11-for-11.

Flying Dutch Win RDV D3 Championship a Third Time (12/29/11)
RDV D3 Classic Website
Hope 62, Baldwin-Wallace 45 / Hope 68, Concordia-Chicago 54
In a showdown of ranked teams, the #17 Flying Dutch captured the championship of the RDV Sportsplex D3 Classic by topping #20 Baldwin-Wallace 62-45 on Thursday in Orlando, Fla. Senior Maddie Burnett (pictured) was voted the tournament's most valuable player and was joined on the all-tourney team by freshman Rebekah Llorens. Game scoring honors went to Courtney Kust with 19 points while Llorens followed with a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds.

The Flying Dutch defeated Concordia-Chicago 68-54 in Wednesday's first round game. Junior guard Liz Ellis sank five three-point baskets enroute to a 17-point performance while senior forward Maddie Burnett finished with a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds. For the third straight game, freshman Rebekah Llorens came off the bench to score in double figures (13 points).

Flying Dutch Pass the "Test" by Winning Post Exam Jam (12/17/11)
Hope 61, Ithaca 50 / Robert Morris 65, Finlandia 30
It was far from their final exam of the season, but it was a noteworthy test passed by the Flying Dutch Saturday in the championship game of their own Post Exam Jam. Coach Brian Morehouse's Dutch extended their winning streak to nine in-a-row by defeating another highly regarded Division III program. The defense-focused 61-50 victory over Ithaca, N.Y. gives the Flying Dutch a 10-1 record heading into the holiday break.

Except for the opening points, the Flying Dutch never trailed in the contest, but it wasn't until the final minutes that victory, the 103rd in 105 games at DeVos Fieldhouse, was assured. Hope's lead was five points, 53-48, with 1:31 left. Eight free throws over the final seconds assured the win. In fact, it was free throws that made the difference as Hope was 23-of-33 from the charity stripe compared to Ithaca's 8-for-12.

Freshman Rebekah Llorens had a collegiate career weekend off the bench. After scoring a career-best 19 points in Friday's win, she followed with her first collegiate double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds and earned tournament most valuable player honors. She was joined on the all-tournament team by teammates Courtney Kust and Allie Cerone. Kust scored 14 points in the Saturday victory while Cerone in 47 minutes of play during the tournament committeed just two turnovers.

The Flying Dutch take a week off for the holidays before heading to Florida for the RDV DIII Holiday Classic in Orlando on December 28-29.

Title Game of Post Exam Jam Features Once-Beaten Teams (12/16/11)
Hope 74, Finlandia 42 / Ithaca 67, Robert Morris 36
A showdown of once-beaten, nationally ranked teams will be featured Saturday when the Flying Dutch (9-1) meet the Ithaca, Bombers (8-1) in the championship game of the Post Exam Jam at DeVos Fieldhouse. Both teams coasted to victories Friday, Ithaca topping Robert Morris-Springfield 67-36 and Hope routing Finlandia 72-45.

The Flying Dutch scored the game's first 16 points, led 42-17 at intermission and then led off the second half with a 10-point run.

Coach Brian Morehouse's Dutch extended their winning streak to eight in-a-row with the bench contributing 48 points led for the second game in-a-row by freshman Rebekah Llorens who scored 19 points in just 16 points of play. Hannah Doell, another freshman, had a collegiate career high 12 points. Hope dominated the boards with a 61-35 rebounding advantage led by sophomore Katie Overway with 11. Sophomore Anna Kaufmann was credited with six assists.

Flying Dutch Gain Sole Possession of First in MIAA (12/10/11)
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The Flying Dutch gained sole possession of first place in the MIAA behind an 86-50 victory over visiting Alma on Saturday. Coach Brian Morehouse's Dutch are 4-0 in conference games, half-a-game ahead of idle Calvin (3-0). The Flying Dutch have won seven straight games to 8-1 overall heading into semester exams next week.

In a very physical game, the teams combined for 45 personal fouls. Alma's 25 fouls sent the Flying Dutch to the charity stripe 37 times with success on 30 of the attempts, a DeVos Fieldhouse record.

With a knee injury sidelining starting center Meredith Kussmaul, coach Morehouse went to his bench. Receiving her first starting role in the post, junior Ashley Bauman scored six points and hauled in seven rebounds. Freshman Rebekah Llorens came off the bench to score a collegiate high 22 points in 16 minutes of floor time. Also scoring in double figures were Maddie Burnett and Liz Ellis with 15 and 13 points respectively.

Flying Dutch Win 100th DeVos Fieldhouse Game (12/8/11)
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The Flying Dutch remained undefeated in the young conference season while extending their winning streak to six in-a-row behind a 74-56 victory over Saint Mary's on Wednesday night. Coach Brian Morehouse's Dutch are tied for first place in the MIAA with rival Calvin at 3-0 and have a 7-1 season record.

Hope never trailed in the game and led by 15 points at halftime, 34-19. The Belles came back within five points, 53-48, with seven minutes left in the game, but Hope responded with a 15-2 run over the next four minutes to secure their 100th victory at DeVos Fieldhouse. The Flying Dutch have an amazing 100-2 record on the DeVos floor.

Hope had four players score in double figures led by career-high performances from Maddie Burnett (17 points) and Courtney Kust (15 points). Liz Ellis also tallied 15 points. Honored as the MIAA Player of the Week, Meredith Mussmaul was outstanding on both ends of the court finishing with 12 points, eight rebounds, five blocked shots and three steals. The Flying Dutch had 10 blocked shots.

Flying Dutch Remain Undefeated in Conference Play (12/3/11)
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The Flying Dutch topped their first week of conference play with a 78-53 victory over host Albion on Saturday. Coach Brian Morehouse's Flying Dutch improved to 2-0 in the MIAA and are 6-1 overall heading into a stretch of four consecutive home games over the next two weeks.

Trailing by as many as eight points early in the game, the Flying Dutch rallied to go ahead 31-27 at halftime and then outscored the Brits 47-26 in the second half. Junior Meredith Kussmaul scored a career high 24 points behind ten baskets. Hope had 10 three-point baskets in the game as seven players scored at least once from outside the arc.

Flying Dutch Open League Play With Victory (11/30/11)
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The Flying Dutch opened defense of their MIAA title by topping visiting Kalamazoo 76-39 Wednesday. Coach Brian Morehouse's Flying Dutch (5-1) extended their winning streak to four in-a-row by defeating the Hornets for the 42nd consecutive time. Seven minutes into the game the Flying Dutch held a 14-10 lead. Eight minutes later Hope's lead was 32-10 as the Flying Dutch reeled off 18 consecutive points. Hope led 38-16 at halftime. Hope's depth was a very evident as the Flying Dutch bench outscored Kalamazoo's bench 40-2. Freshman Rebekah Llorens scored a game-high 12 points off the bench while Courtney Kust and Meredith Kussmaul added 10 points apiece. Each team attempted 55 shots, Hope making 28 of them (51%) compared to Kalamazoo's 15 (27%). The Flying Dutch held a 48-25 advantage on the boards.

Flying Dutch Extend Win Streak With Close Victory (11/26/11)
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The Flying Dutch extended their winning streak to three in-a-row by scoring a 66-65 victory over Aquinas on Saturday. Coach Brian Morehouse's Dutch have a 4-1 record heading into the start of conference play next week.

The host Saints had two opportunities in the final minute to win the game. A missed Aquinas shot with 33 seconds left remained in possession of the Saints with :10 on the clock. Hope's defense stepped-up to deny Aquinas a final shot. Liz Ellis, last year's MIAA defensive player of the year, forced an errant Aquinas pass which was stolen by senior Allie Cerone two seconds remaining. Time ran out to give the Flying Dutch the victory.

Hope led 31-26 at halftime and had built the leade to eight points with seven minutes remaining. The teams were tied an eighth time, 63-63, with 3:31 remaining. Ellis' three-pointer at the 2:02 gave Hope a lead they would not relinquich.

Courtney Kust led the Dutch with 15 points while Meredith Kusmaul and Ellis each had 11. The Flying Dutch were a perfect 11-for-11 on their free throws.

Flying Dutch Remain Dominant on Home Court (11/22/11)
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Playing their 100th game at DeVos Fieldhouse, the Flying Dutch scored their 98th victory on the parquet floor by topping Defiance, Ohio 68-43 on Tuesday night. One week into the season, coach Brian Morehouse's Flying Dutch have a 3-1 record.

Defense keyed the victory. Defiance's only lead was the game's first points. Hope turned a 6-4 lead into a 22-6 advantage and never looked back. Hope's lead at halftime was 40-14.

Double-digit playing minutes were spread across 12 players. Allie Cerone led the scoring parade with 14 points whiole Liz Ellis tallied 11 and Courtney Kust added 10. Freshman Rebekah Llorens grabbed nine rebounds while Liz Ellis was credited with seven assists. Hope took advantage of 25 Defiance turnovers behind 15 steals led by Allie Cerone and Liz Ellis with four apiece.

Flying Dutch Rebound With Road Tournament Win (11/19/11)
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With all five starters scoring in double figures, the Flying Dutch defeated tournament host Mount St. Joseph 81-66 on Saturday. The Flying Dutch had suffered their first loss of the season on Friday bowing to Capital, Ohio 62-53. Coach Brian Morehouse's Dutch posted a 2-1 record in their first week of the season.

Trailing 6-0 in the opening minutes of the game, the Flying Dutch battled back to gain a 13-13 tie and then went on to take a 39-24 halftime lead. Senior Allie Cerone paced the balanced scoring attack with 17 points while Maddie Burnett and Liz Ellis each had 16 points while Meredith Kusmaul and Courtney Kust added 12 and 10 respectively. The Flying Dutch made 10 three-point baskets and were 15-for-16 on free throws.

Flying Dutch Suffer Season's First Loss (11/18/11)
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The Flying Dutch suffered their first loss of the season bowing to Capital, Ohio 62-53 at the Mount St. Joseph tipoff tournament on Friday. Except for a brief 7-6 lead early in the game, the Flying Dutch found themselves behind. Capital led 28-23 at the half. Maddie Burnett scored a career-high 22 points while Liz Ellis added 13 points. The Flying Dutch (1-1) are back in action Saturday against host Mount St. Joseph.

Flying Dutch Open Season With Victory at DeVos (11/15/11)
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The Flying Dutch opened their season with an 84-36 home victory over Rochester, Mich. The Flying Dutch won for the 97th time in 99 games played at DeVos Fieldhouse. The Flying Dutch came out sizzling, scoring 14 baskets in just 17 attempts to take a 40-11 lead. The Flying Dutch led 46-21 at halftime. Four players scored in double figures led by Meredith Kussmaul and Liz Ellis with 15 points apiece. Allie Cerone added a career-best 14 points while Courtney Kust scored 11.

A new basketball season is often viewed as a rebuilding year when a team has lost four-of-five starters from a previous championship season.

For coach Brian Morehouse's Flying Dutch 2011-12 should be more a matter of reloading than rebuilding.

The Flying Dutch are coming off a 27-3 season and are absent four graduating seniors who were part of the most successful four-year era in Hope women's basketball history posting a 117-8 record.

Morehouse, who begins his 16th season and is currently the second winningest active NCAA Division coach (375-63, 856), approaches basketball as being more than a five-player game. Last year 10 players averaged double-digit minutes. This year it means he returns seven players who have considerable varsity playing experience.

Co-captains of the team will be senior Maddie Burnett of Grand Rapids (Northview HS), senior Allie Cerone of Wheaton, Ill. (Wheaton North HS), junior Liz Ellis of Grand Rapids (East Grand Rapids HS), and junior Meredith Kussmaul of Hartland (Hartland HS).

Burnett and Cerone are the only seniors on the 14 player varsity roster. There are also three freshmen, four sophomores and four juniors. The team will be one of the tallest in Division III with six players measuring six-feet or more.

Last season Liz Ellis was chosen the Defensive Player of the Year in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) and was named to the All-MIAA second team. She also led the MIAA in three-point shooting accuracy at .475 in conference games and .458 over the entire season. Ellis enters the season as Hope's alltime leader in three-point shooting accuracy (.431). Long distance shooting will become a greater challenge in college women's basketball this upcoming season as the three-point line has been moved back to 20 feet, 9 inches, the same as in men's college basketball. It previously had been 19 feet, 9 inches.

Other returning letterwinners include junior Ashley Bauman of Manistee (Manistee Catholic HS), junior Courtney Kust of Cincinnati, Ohio (Cincinnati Hills Christian HS), and sophomore Katie Overway of Holland (West Ottawa HS).

Moving up from the junior varsity program are sophomores Anna Kaufmann of Davenport, Iowa (Davenport Central HS), Megan Kelley of Rockford (Rockford HS), and Kristen Slotman of Cedar Grove, Wisc.

New to collegiate basketball will be freshmen Hannah Doell of Center Valley, Pa. (Southern Leigh HS), Rebekah Llorens of Grayslake, Ill. (Grayslake Central HS), and Liz Siepker of Troy (Troy HS). Each of the three freshmen stand 6-1.

The goal of the Flying Dutch will be to compete for a school-record fifth straight MIAA championship and a berth in the NCAA Division III tournament. An added incentive is the fact that Hope College wil be hosting the NCAA Division III Final Four at DeVos Fieldhouse on March 16-17.