The Hope College men?s basketball team closed out the regular season with its eighth consecutive win on Saturday, a 81-72 decision at Trine University.
Freshman point guard Ben Gardner scored a season-high 18 points for the Flying Dutchmen (17-8, 12-2 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association). It was his fifth consecutive game in double figures.
Hope will be the No. 2 seed for the upcoming MIAA Tournament. The Flying Dutchmen will host Trine on Thursday in a 7:30 p.m. semifinal at DeVos Fieldhouse.
?Minus a little stumble down at Olivet, I think we did exactly what we thought we could do after the Calvin loss,? Hope coach Matt Neil said. ?We talked about running the table after the Calvin loss. We were one game shy of that.
?I think this just goes to show they believe in each other. They were determined to come to work in practice and make practice a lot tougher, so when we got to games we were ready and prepared.?
Freshman forward Brock Benson added 14 points and a team-high seven rebounds for Hope, while junior center Nate VanArendonk also finished in double figures with 10 points.
It was the first time Benson reached double figures in scoring since he had 17 during a Jan. 17 win at Alma College.
?He provides a little more depth at the post spot,? Neil said. ?Today, he had a couple of great power baskets at the rim. He did really great at the free-throw line, making 8-of-9. You do that by attacking the class.
?He provided us with some real good stability defensively, which I thought was a big boost for us.?
Senior forwards Billy Seiler and Nate Snuggerud (Zeeland East) added nine and eight points, respectively, for Hope.
Trine is now 14-11 overall and 7-7 in MIAA play.
Forwards Todd Watkins and Jared Holmquist each scored 16 points to lead the Thunder. Holmquist also grabbed a game-high nine rebounds.
Hope limited Trine guard Ian Jackson ? the MIAA?s leading scorer at 21 points per game ? to 10 points and 3-of-15 shooting from the field. Jackson scored two points during the second half.
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