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Flying Dutch Among National Stat Leaders (3/20/13)
Flying Dutch Ranked Fifth Nationally in Final DIII Poll (3/20/13)
Flying Dutch Rally Falls Short in Elite Eight Loss (3/9/13) Whitewater, who had lost to Hope by 11 points back in December, wasted little time in gaining the advantage this time around. The Warhawks jumped out to a 9-0 advantage and led by as many as 18 points in the first. Hope trailed by 13 points, 39-26, at halftime. The Flying battled back to within two points, 58-56, with 2:49 left in the game, but could come no closer. Courtney Kust and Rebekah Llorens each scored 11 points while Liz Ellis added 10. Whitewater held a 49-34 advantage in rebounds and limited the Flying Dutch to 2-for-14 three-point shooting.
Flying Dutch Advance to Elite Eight (3/8/13) The Flying Dutch (29-1) advance to the Sectional championship game on Saturday against the host Whitewater Warhawks (24-6) who defeated Simpson, Iowa 76-63 in Friday's other semi-final game. The championship game will be a rematch of a Dec. 15 game in which the Flying defeated Whitewater 63-52 at Hope's DeVos Fieldhouse. Tipoff will be 7 p.m. CT (8 p.m. in Michigan). Hope will be hosting the final four next Friday and Saturday, March 15-16. It will be the fourth time that the final four is played at DeVos Fieldhouse. Hope is seeking to make that field on their home (DeVos) court for the first time. The lead changed hands six times in the first half, with neither team able to build a comfortable lead. St. Thomas managed a 17-9 lead on Kellie Ring's three pointer at 10:29, but Hope responded with an 11-2 run that gave the Dutch a 20-19 lead. Twice in the remaining minutes of the half UST pulled out to a five-point margin, but by halftime the Tommies clung to a one point lead, 32-31. "We basically told our players to slow down the offensive tempo," said coach Brian Morehouse of his halftime advice to his team after the committed an uncharacteristic 13 turnovers over the first 20 minutes. "We found our rhythm in the second half." It was more of the same for the first fifteen minutes of the second half. With 7:02 left in the game Hope led 55-52. The Dutch scored the next six points for the largest lead of the game to that point, 61-52. A three-pointer by Liz Ellis (East Grand Rapids HS) gave Hope the first double digit lead of the game, 64-54 at 3:39. Except for a 68-59 score with 1:48 left, the Dutch held that double digit margin. Hope shot the lights out. The Dutch shot 57% for the game, 65% in the second half. Included in that mark was 9-12 shooting from beyond the arc. St. Thomas, which shot 48% on field goals in the first half, cooled to 42% for the game, and just 3-12 from three-point range. Hope sophomore guard Brittany Berry (Grand Rapids Catholic Central HS) led all scorers with 20 points, one of four Dutch in double figures. She also contributed a game high five assists and five steals. Berry came into the game leading all NCAA Division III player in three-point shooting. She made 5-of-6 from outside the arc on Friday to improve his season percentage to .520 (64/123). Ellis added 11 points, including nine in the second half, while senior Courtney Kust scored all of her 10 points after intermission. Sophomore Hannah Doell also scored 10 points.
Flying Dutch Headed to Wisconsin for Sectional (3/3/13) The Flying Dutch are part of the Sweet Sixteen from an original tournament field of 64 teams. Hope advanced through the first two rounds of the tournament this weekend by defeating Wheaton, Ill. 64-37 and Ohio Northern 63-48 in home games. The Sectional tournament semi-finals will be played Friday with the winners meeting Saturday. Game times are to be announced. Hope (28-1) will play St. Thomas, Minn. (24-5) in one semi-final game while host UW-Whitewater (23-6) will play Simpson, Iowa (27-2) in the other. Hope will again host the final four at DeVos Fieldhouse the weekend of March 15-16. It will be the fourth time that Hope has hosted the Division III finals. Hope has yet to advance to the final when they have been the host at DeVos.
Flying Dutch Advance to Tournament Sweet Sixteen (3/2/13) The win advances the Flying Dutch to next weekend's Sectional tournament at a site to be determined. Hope (28-1) will meet St. Thomas, Minn. (24-5) in one game while UW-Whitewater (23-6) faces Simpson, Iowa (27-2). St. Thomas, last year's third place finisher at the national finals, posted a pair of close victories this weekend to advance to the Sectional edging Calvin of the MIAA 64-62 and Cornell, Iowa 53-52. Dominance of the boards spelled the difference in Hope's victory over an Ohio Northern team that carried a 26-game winning streak into the contest. Hope had a 46-27 rebound advantage limiting the Polar Bears to only five off their offensive board. Hope scored 17 second-chance points behind 16 offensive rebounds. Sophomore Rebekah Llorens came off the bench to claim 10 rebounds. The Flying Dutch never trailed in building a 30-20 halftime lead. Hope's patented defense kicked-in against an opponent that came into the game with a 71.2 ponts scoring average. Senior Courtney Kust led the Flying Dutch with 21 points, including 11-of-13 free throws, while senior guard Liz Ellis added 17 points.
Flying Dutch Win First NCAA Tournament Test (3/1/13) A first-half outside shooting display by Brittany Berry set the tone. The nation's deadliest outside shooter made six three-point baskets on just seven attempts in the first half as the Flying Dutch built a 39-21. On the season Berry is shooting .513 from outside the arc, tops in all of Division III. The Flying Dutch held an opponent to less than 40 points for the 12th time this season. The outstanding defense was highlighted by 17 steals and six blocked shots. Berry ended the game's leading scorer with 18 points while senior post Meredith Kussmaul tallied 11. Freshman post Maura McAfee was outstanding on the boards with 11 rebounds, including 10 off the Wheaton board, and senior guard Liz Ellis was credited with six assists.
MIAA Coaches Honor Three Hope Players (2/25/13) Ellis anchored a Hope defense that broke a 34-year-old MIAA record by holding conference opponents to 41.2 points a game. She is the first player in MIAA history to be named Defensive Player of the Year three times. Kust led the team in scoring for the second year in-a-row while Berry's three-point shooting accuracy was among the best in all of NCAA Division III.
Flying Dutch Advance to NCAA Division III Tournament (2/23/13) Senior Courtney Kust scored a career-high 29 points, including 18 in the second half, to rally the Flying Dutch who had been beaten on Calvin's court during the regular season. Hope rallied to cut Calvin's halftime lead to two points, 30-28. Calvin had led by nine points, 30-21, with less than two minutes remaining in the half. Seven minutes into the second half the teams were tied for the sixth time, 41-41. Free throws and a basket by Rebekah Llorens put Hope ahead to stay. Hope led by as many as eight point down the stretch, but the decision wasn't sealed until Liza Ellis with 16 seconds remaining made a pair of free throws.
Flying Dutch Advance to MIAA Championship Game (2/20/13) Wednesday's victory was the signature 25th of the season for the Flying Dutch who have achieved that distinction six times over the past decade and for the eighth time in school history. Senior guard Liz Ellis became the 13th player in Hope women's basketball history to score 1,000 points over her career. The milestone was achieved on a jumper just two minutes into the game. It broke a 2-2 tie and was the start of a run that resulted in a 13-4 advantage just three minutes later. Ellis finished with 11 points to raise her career total to 1,009. Sophomore guard Brittany Berry came into the game leading all NCAA Division III player in three-point field goal shooting accuracy. She was 2-for-2 from long range in the game to improve her season average to .500 (52 for 104). She is on track to break Hope's single season record of .449 by Jordyn Boles in 2004-05 (44/98). Senior forward Courtney Kust led all scorers with 16 points while senior post Meredith Kussmaul grabbed 10 rebounds, including eight off the defensive board.
Flying Dutch Avenge Only Loss With Win Over Rival (2/16/13) A coin toss was needed to determine the seeding for the upcoming conference tournament. Calvin won the toss to gain the tournament's top-seed which begins Wednesday. The second seeded Flying Dutch will host third-seeded Olivet (15-10) while Calvin (22-2) will entertain Trine (11-11). The remaining highest seed will host Saturday's championship game which will determine the MIAA's automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III championship. Saturday's game was a tale of two halves. The Flying Dutch were clicking on all cylinders over the first 20 minutes in racing to a 47-21 lead behind 63% field goal shooting and a resounding 20-9 rebound advantage. Hope's lead dipped to 12 points in the second half as the Flying Dutch shot a season-poor 17%, making only four baskets. Calvin came into the game as the best shooting team in Division III, but the Knights were held to just 30% accuracy with single-digit field goal totals in each half. Senior guard Liz Ellis scored a career-high 20 points and led the defense with five steals. For the ninth consecutive game, sophomore guard Brittany Berry had multiple three-pointers making three en route to an 11 point effort.
Stage is Set for MIAA Title Showdown (2/13/13) The Flying Dutch had their best shooting performance of the season, especially from the perimeter. The team shot 61% overall and connected on 15 three-point baskets. Ten Hope players scored at least one three-pointer led by Brittany Berry who was five-for-five from outside the arc. Hope had four players scored in double figures led by Berry with 15 points. Courtney Kust added 11 points while Hannah Doell and Melissa LaReau each had 10. Berry was also credited with seven assists.
Flying Dutch Celebrate Seniors With Victory (2/9/13) Appropriate for the night, seniors scored Hope's first nine points in a game the Flying Dutch never trailed. Hope led 42-11 at halftime. Seniors honored were players Courtney Kust, Meredith Kussmaul, Liz Ellis and Ashley Bauman and student assistant coach Molly Collins. Ellis led the team in scoring with a season-high 17 points. She also had six steals to raise her career total to 188, now eighth on the Hope all-time list. Outside shooter Brittany Berry's two three-pointers put her current streak of multiple-treys in a game to seven in-a-row. The Flying Dutch entered the game topping all NCAA Division III teams in scoring defense. They were right on average as the cumulative season defensive average remains at 42.5 point per game.
Flying Dutch Remain Unbeaten on Home Floor (2/6/13) Olivet challenged the Flying Dutch in the opening minutes, gaining a 16-12 advantage seven minutes into the game. Hope scored 12 unanswered points over the next four minutes and steadily built the lead to 42-23 at halftime. Hope's biggest lead was 33 points, 66-33, with seven minutes remaining. Brittany Berry led the Dutch with 12 points on four three-point baskets while freshman Maura McAfee and junior Rebekah Llorens followed with 10 points apiece. The Flying Dutch forced Olivet into 30 turnovers, including 20 steals. The Flying Dutch came into the game leading NCAA Division III in scoring defense and margin of victory. Through 22 games the Dutch are allowing opponents 42.5 points per contest and have been winning by a margin of 29.3 points.
Flying Dutch Continue Stingy Ways in Road Triumph (2/2/13) The Flying Dutch have held an opponent to 40 points or less in 11 games this season, including the last five in-a-row. On the season Hope is allowing just 42.2 points a game. The Division III scoring defense leader heading into the weekend was Tufts, Mass. The Jumbos lost their first game of the season 54-40 to Amherst and are now allowing 43.0 points a game. Once again the Flying Dutch used a big scoring run to take command of a game. Leading 9-6 four minutes into the game, the Flying Dutch scored the next 23 points over a 10-minute span. Hope's halftime lead was 46-15. Seniors Meredith Kussmaul and Liz Ellis shared game scoring honors with 11 points apiece. For the fifth consecutive game, sophomore Brittany Berry had multiple three-pointers shooting 3-for-5. Hope held a 48-29 rebound advantage led by freshman Maura McAfee with seven.
Defense Continues to Key Flying Dutch Victories The Flying Dutch set the tone at the start of each half. Hope led 10-0 just five minutes into the contest and scored the first 11 points in the second half. The Flying Dutch held an opponent under 40 points for the tenth time this season. Opponents are averaging just 42.7 points per game. Senior guard Liz Ellis led the Dutch with 14 points while Brittany Berry added 11. The Flying Dutch held an overwhelming 59-25 advantage in rebounds led by freshman Maura McAfee with seven.
Outstanding Defense Allows Dutch to Double-Up Opponent The Flying Dutch came into the game ranked third nationally in scoring defense and are now allowing just 43.4 points per game. Albion had challenged the Flying Dutch in an earlier meeting and on Saturday Hope's halftime lead was just 28-20. The Flying Dutch came out strong in the second half to out-score the Britons 18-3 in the first five minutes and never looked back. After making just 28% on their first half shots, Hope connected on 65% of them in the final 20 minutes. In their first meeting this season Hope made just one three-point basket. On Saturday the Flying Dutch connected on 11 treys led by Megan Kelley with four en route to a career-high 14 point performance. Scoring honors went to Courtney Kust with 15 points. The Flying Dutch caused 30 turnovers by Albion highlighted by 19 steals. Hope committed just nine turnovers, including just three in the second half.
Every Player Scores in Flying Dutch Victory (1/23/13) Hope led 48-13 at halftime and for the eighth time this season held an opponent under 40 points. Hope ranks third in the nation in scoring defense at 43.6 points per game. The Flying Dutch had a season-low seven turnovers and were credited with 21 steals. Seniors Courtney Kust and Meredith Kussmaul led the way with each scoring 14 points. Kust also ended with a double-double by collecting 11 rebounds.
Outside Shooting Propels Flying Dutch to Victory (1/19/13) Unlike any other game this season, the Flying Dutch relied on outside shooting. Attempting a season-high 27 shots from beyond the arc, the Flying Dutch tied a school record by making 13 of them. It was the most since the 2004-05 season when the Flying Dutch made 13 in two different games. Sophomore Brittany Berry tied the individual mark for three-pointers making seven enroute to a career-high 23-point performance. She shot 7-for-8 from beyond the arc. She shares the single game mark with Nicki Mannes (95-96) and Jordyn Boles who accomplished it twice (04-05 and 07-08). The Flying Dutch caught fire late in the first half thanks to some deadly outside shooting. Leading just 22-20 with eight minutes remaining before intermission, the Flying Dutch out-scored the host Thunder 20-6 to take a 42-26 halftime lead. The Flying Dutch made eight three-point baskets in the first half spurred by Berry who already had her career-high with 17 points behind five three-pointers. She missed her first three-point attempt, but made the next five. Hope attempted 18 three-pointers in thje first half compared to just one by Trine. Ranked second in the nation among NCAA Division III teams in scoring defense, the Flying Dutch held an opponent under 40 points for the seventh time this season. Berry was the only Hope player in double figures. Fifteen of Hope's 16 players scored The Flying Dutch had 16 steals, including four by Berry.
Flying Dutch Get Back on Winning Track (1/16/13) Trailing 10-8 six minutes into the game, the Flying Dutch went on a 15-point run over the next six minutes to go ahead 23-10. Hope led 33-18 at halftime. In the second half the Flying Dutch shot 64% (23/36) en route to a 54-point effort. Rebekah Llorens led the Dutch with 16 points off the bench while Courtney Kust followed with 14 points. Llorens and Ashley Bauman led the Dutch on the boards with five rebounds each while Megan Kelley was credited with four steals.
Flying Dutch Suffer First Loss of Season (1/12/13) It was a game of momentum swings with Calvin gaining the advantage in the end. The Knights led by as many as 11 points early in the first half, but Hope rallied to gain a 29-28 lead at halftime. Each team led by as many as six points during the first 10 minutes of the second half. The teams were tied 54-54 with 2:15 left in the game when Calvin went on a six-point run to take the lead for good. Hope had the game's final shot in the closing seconds. Meredith Kussmaul led the Dutch with 16 points while Megan Kelley scored 13.
Stage is Set for Showdown with Rival Calvin (1/9/13) Coach Brian Morehouse's Flying Dutch again displayed their defensive prowess by gaining an 80-38 victory over visiting Adrian on Wednesday. Hope came into the game as the top-ranked NCAA Division III team in scoring defense. Wednesday's performance lowered the team's defensive average to 43.1 points per game. The Flying Dutch improved to 14-0 on the season. The teams were tied 4-4 three minutes into the game when the Flying Dutch went on an 11-point run en route to a 44-16 halftime advantage. Hope's defensive pressure resulted in 31 turnovers by Adrian. Rebekah Llorens led the Flying Dutch with 12 points. Hope held a 46-35 rebound advantage with Courtney Kust, Meredith Kussmaul and Maura McAfee each claiming six.
Defense Keys Victory for Undefeated Flying Dutch (1/5/13) Alma scored the game's first basket, but the Scots would get only 12 the rest of the game, including just five in the second half. Hope, meanwhile, spread playing time across the entire team with 15 players scoring and 13 claiming at least one rebound. Senior Courtney Kust scored 12 points in 16 points and grabbed six rebounds. Meredith Kussmaul and Maura McAfee each had seven rebounds.
Flying Dutch Win Third Tournament Crown (12/29/12) Accurate outside shooting set the tone for the Flying Dutch who were 8-for-12 from outside the arch in gaining a 48-35 halftime lead. Hope ended with 11 three-pointers, one short of the DeVos Fieldhouse. Senior Liz Ellis, who was named the tournament's most valuable player, tied the fieldhouse record with five three-pointers enroute to a 21 point performance. Courtney Kust and Megan Kelley joined Ellis on the all-tournament team. Kust had back-to-back double figure scoring performances on the weekend with 14 on Friday and 17 on Saturday. Kelley wsas outstanding in taking care of the ball with just one turnover over the two games. Also scoring in double figures was Rebekah Llorens with 10 points.
Flying Dutch Seek Third Tournament Crown of Season (12/28/12) It followed an impressive 89-45 victory by Baldwin-Wallace (5-5) over Bluffton, setting the stage for Saturday's championship game between two familiar non-league opponents. Hope and B-W have met twice in recent years in the NCAA tournament. The Flying Dutch will carry a 5-3 series advantage into the championship game at 3 p.m. today. It will be preceded by the 1 p.m. consolation game between Bluffton (5-5) and Finlandia (3-9). Coach Brian Morehouse's Flying Dutch will be seeking their third tournament sweep of the season. Finlandia actually led in the opening minutes, 5-2, before Hope went on a 14-point run which was extended to 30-11 at halftime. Nearly every Hope player had double-digit playing minutes with 14 Flying Dutch scoring a point and 15 collecting at least one rebound. Courtney Kust led the team scoring 14 points in 13 minutes. Rebekah Llorens was tops on the boards with seven rebounds as Hope held a 52-27 advantage in that department. The Flying Dutch came within one blocked shot of a fieldhouse record with 11 led by Maura McAfee's four rejections. Meredith Kussmaul's lucky number was five behind five rebounds, five assists and five steals. Baldwin-Wallace followed the same script as Hope with 17 players scoring a point. Jessica Carpentered led the Yellow Jackets with 11 points while Lexi Rohrbach collected 13 rebounds.
Flying Dutch Enter Holidays Undefeated (12/22/12) Coach Morehouse's "present" to the team was playing time spread across the 16 players. No player was on the floor for more than half of the game. In the end a total of 14 players were in the scorebook, 13 had at least one rebound and 12 had recorded either an assist or a steal. Ohio Wesleyan scored the opening basket -- a three pointer. Hope's Meredith Kussmaul answered with a trey and the Flying Dutch never looked back. Hope expanded a 17-15 lead to 40-17 advantage enroute to a 42-19 halftime lead. Twenty four of Hope's 33 second-half points were scored by bench players. Courtney Kust led the Flying Dutch with 14 points in 17 minutes and added a team-high eight rebounds. Rebekah Llorens added 12 points on five-for-six shooting. Hope had a season-low nine turnovers, including just two in the first half, while collecting 11 steals off 28 Ohio Wesleyan turnovers.
Flying Dutch Gain First in MIAA Race (12/19/12) Trailing 8-2 three minutes into the game, the Flying Dutch fought back to gain a 12-12 tie midway through the first half. Hope took the lead for good, 15-14, of Meredith Kussmaul's three-point basket. After leading 37-22 at halftime, the Flying Dutch scored the first 10 points of the second half. Ranked second in the nation in scoring defense, the Flying Dutch took advantage of 29 Olivet turnovers behind 16 steals. The Comets came into the game with four players averaging in doubles; none did against the Flying Dutch. Hope has now held seven of its eight opponents to less than 50 points. Senior Liz Ellis led the Flying Dutch with 15 points while Courtney Kust and Rebekah Llorens followed with 12 and 11 points rspectively.
Flying Dutch Pass the Test in Showdown of Ranked Teams (12/15/12) The Flying Dutch set the tone from the very start behind their senior co-captain Liz Ellis and ultimate tournament MVP. Ten minutes into the game Hope was ahead 14-2 and at halftime the Flying Dutch held a 31-9 adevantage by limiting the Warhawks to only 17% shooting. Whitewater committed 15 turnovers in the first 20 minutes, 10 of them off steals. The Warhawks made a late run cutting Hope's lead to eight points with two minutes remaining. It turned into a free throw shooting contest as Hope scored its last 11 points on charities. Ellis and senior co-captain Courtney Kust each finished with 18 points while sophomore Hannah Doell had a career high 15 points, her first double-figure performance as a collegian. Kust and Doell joined Ellis on the all-tournament team.
Unbeaten Flying Dutch Face Season's Biggest Test (12/14/12) Hope trailed just one against Spring Arbor, 3-2, in the opening minute. Senior guard Liz Ellis ignited the offense scoring eight straight points and the Dutch never looked back leading 28-9 with seven minutes left in the first half and 39-22 at halftime. In the end 13 Hope players were in the scorebook led by Courtney Kust with 13 points. Ellis followed with 12. Hope held a 30-21 rebound advantage holding Spring Arbor to just three offensive boards. The Flying Dutch were credited with 16 steals with nine players receiving credit for at least one theft. Whitewater came with a basket of equaling the DeVos Fieldhouse single game scoring record. Fourteen Warhawks scored led by Courtney Kumerow with 16 points.
Flying Dutch Head Into Exams Undefeated (12/5/12) The Flying Dutch went into the game ranked second among NCAA Division III teams in scoring defense. Through six games Hope is allowing opponents just 40.5 points per game. The national leader is Oswgo, N.Y. at 40.0 points per game. Albion scored the first two baskets in Wednesday's game, but managed only one in the next 12 minutes as Hope built a 26-4 advantage. The Flying Dutch led 28-13 at halftime. Hope's bench out-scored Albion 23-3, led by Rebekah Llorens with 14 points on 6-for-9 shooting. She also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds. Courtney Kust added 10 points while Liz Ellis tallied nine. The Flying Dutch had a season-low nine turnovers. The Flying Dutch will now take more than a week off to concentrate on their semester exams. After playing five of their first six games on the road, Hope will play seven of their next eight at home beginning Dec. 14-15 with the Post-Exam Jam.
Flying Dutch Stay Unbeaten in Home Debut (12/1/12)
Flying Dutch Open League Play with Victory (11/28/12) Hope led 5-4 three minutes into the game. The Flying Dutch scored 19 unanswered points over the next five minutes to gain a 24-4 lead. Hope led 50-22 at halftime. All 15 Hope players scored led by Meredith Kussmaul with 14 points. Rebekah Llorens followed with 12 points while Courtney Kust added 10. Hope held a 58-28 rebound advantage led by Kelsey Masserant with nine followed by Kristen Slotman with eight.
Flying Dutch Record 400th Win for Coach Morehouse (11/20/12) In 17 seasons, coach Morehouse has guided the Flying Dutch to a record of 400-68. The 83% winning percentage is the second best among all active NCAA Division III women's basketball coaches. The Flying Dutch led by 17 points at halftime, 32-17. Defiance cut the lead to four points, 50-46, in the final minute. A pair of free throws by Liz Ellis in the closing seconds sealed the outcome. Courtney Kust led the Flying Dutch with 12 points while Hannah Doell added 10.
Flying Dutch Open Season With Two Victories (11/17/12)
Flying Dutch Open Season With Victory (11/16/12) Hope had three players score in double figures led by Brittany Berry whose 15 points all came on three-point baskets. Courtney Kust, last year's leading scorer, finished with 13 points on six-for-seven shooting while senior co-captain Liz Ellis also scored 13 points. Hope led 28-22 at halftime and finished with 40% shooting on 25-for-55, including 7-for-14 on three pointers.
A blend of returning veterans, players new to the program and returnees hoping to have overcome injury should put the 2012-13 Flying Dutch right in the thick of the conference race. The Flying Dutch are coming off a 22-5 campaign that was impacted by season-ending injuries to players who were significant contributors to the program. The pre-season roster of 16 players includes 10 returning letterwinners , two who are products of the junior varsity program, two freshmen and two players sidelined by injury in 2011-12. Beginning his 17th season at the helm of the program, coach Brian Morehouse is within three wins of his 400th victory. With a 397-67 (.856) record, he ranks second among the winningest Division III coaches, both active and all-time. The Flying Dutch have been included in several Division III pre-season polls, including 14th in the USA Today/ESPN ranking of National Association of Basketball Coaches. Co-captains of the team are seniors Liz Ellis of Grand Rapids (East Grand Rapids HS), Meredith Kussmaul of Hartland (Hartaland HS), and Courtney Kust of Cincinnati, Ohio (Cincinnati Hills Christian HS). Other returning letterwiners are senior Ashley Bauman of Manistee (Manistee Catholic HS), sophomore Hannah Doell of Center Valley, Pa. (Southern Leigh HS), junior Megan Kelley of Rockford (Rockford HS), sophomore Emily Klauka of Holt (Holt HS), sophomore Melissa LaReau of Bradley, Ill. (Bishop McNamara Catholic HS), sophomore Rebekah Llorens of Grayslake, Ill. (Grayslake Central HS), and junior Kristen Slotman of Cedar Grove, Wisc. (Cedar Grove-Belgium HS). Moving up from the junior varsity program are sophomore Kelsey Masserant of Novi (Novi HS) and Kamara Sudberry of Clio (Clio HS). New to Hope basketball are freshmen Autumn Anderson of Dorr (Wayland HS) and Maura McAfee of Midland (Midland HS). Sophomores Brittany Berry of Grand Rapids (Catholic Central HS) and Liz Siepker of Troy (Troy HS) missed all or part of the 2011-12 season because of injury. Kussmaul is also coming off an injury that caused her to miss the last 17 games of the season. Ellis is a three-year starter who has been named the MIAA Defensive Player of the Year as both a sophomore and junior. Ellis and Kust were both All-MIAA first team honorees in 2011-12. Kust led the team in scoring (10.9 ppg) and rebounding (5.9). Ellis was right behind with a 10.7 points-per-game average and Kussmaul followed at 10.1 before being sidelined by injury. Bauman and Llorens stepped up at the post position and between them averaged 12.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. Hope will for the fifth time in school history host the NCAA Division III women's basketball final four on March 15-16. The championships will be held at DeVos Fieldhouse where in its seven year history the Flying Dutch have posted a 108-3 won/loss record.
 Academic Honor Roll Team
Hope Athletics Involvement in Special Olympics Highlighted by NCAA
Flying Dutch Honored With All-MIAA Awards (2/28/12)
2011-12 Awards Announced
Flying Dutch Remain the Leader in Attendance (6/7/12)
Brian Morehouse Honored by Michigan Coaching Peers (5/3/12) Overcoming the challenges of player injuries that dramatically impacted the makeup of the team, the 2011-12 Flying Dutch posted a 22-5 record finishing second in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA). Morehouse, who has guided the Hope program since 1996, was also honored in the 2001-02 and 2007-08 seasons. In 16 seasons under Morehouse, the Flying Dutch have won 20-or-more games 14 consecutive seasons, claimed 10 MIAA titles, made 11 appearances in the NCAA Division III tournament and were national champions in 2006. Ranked the second winningest coach in Division III, he has a record of 397-68.
2011-12 MIAA Players of the Week
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