SPRINGFIELD, OH – Looking like the ranked team that it is, Hope College put an end to Wittenberg's seven-game win streak behind its general quickness, sticky defense, and domination of the defensive boards on Thursday afternoon, Dec. 19, defeating the Tigers, 64-45, in the final game of the Holiday Classic at Pam Evans Smith Arena, part of the Health, Wellness & Athletics Complex.
Hope, currently ranked No. 17th in the D3hoops.com poll, forced Wittenberg into 23 turnovers and 19 personal fouls with its fast-paced man-to-man defense and up-tempo offense. With the loss, the Tigers fall to 7-2 overall, while Hope goes to 10-2.
Wittenberg was taken out of its rhythm after a solid start as starting guards Jazmyn Gaines-Burns (Bladensburg, MD / Elizabeth Seton) and Taryn Cash (Cincinnati, OH / Princeton) were both whistled for two fouls in the before the end of a first quarter that ended with Hope holding a narrow 13-12 advantage. As a result, neither player saw much playing time in the second quarter as Hope outscored the Tigers, 18-8, to open up a 31-20 lead at the half.
Gaines-Burns and Cash were both hit with two more fouls each early in the third quarter and again had to sit. And while the Tigers couldn't catch the Dutch, they did their best to stay withing striking distance the rest of the way as Hope only outscored the Tigers, 33-25, for the remainder of the game.
Despite the foul difficulties, Gaines-Burns still led Witt in scoring with nine points, and Cash and Karsen Karlblom (Crystal Lake, IL / Prairie Ridge) tossed in eight each. Madi Barnett (Cincinnati, OH / Kings) led the team in assists with six and Riane Burton (Houston, TX / Cypress Ranch) led the team in rebounds with seven.
Tiger team totals for the game included going 18-of-56 from the field (32.1%), five-for-15 from three-point range (33.3%), and 4-of-9 (44.4%) from the free-throw line. The Tigers had 41 rebounds, 12 assists, 20 points off Dutch turnovers, only four second-chance points, and 20 points in the paint.
Hope was 23-for-61 from the field for 37.7%, 6-for-22 (27.3%) from three-point range and 12-for-22 (54.5%) from the line for the game. The team had 40 rebounds, 11 assists, 15 turnovers, 25 points off turnovers, 34 points in the paint, and 20 points off the bench. The Flying Dutch were led in points by Olivia Bellows with 15 and Jada Garner with 12. Courtney Lee led the team in rebounds with nine.
Wittenberg is now 1-6 in the all-time series against Hope. The Tigers last played the Flying Dutch in 2022, which ended in an 86-64 loss. Wittenberg won the first matchup between the two teams in 1995 by a score of 82-75.
In the other Day 2 Holiday Classic matchup, Muskingum defeated Bryant-Stratton-Cleveland, 88-46. Next up, the Tigers will head to Las Vegas, Nevada, for the D3hoops.com Classic to take on Susquehanna, on Sunday, Dec. 29, at 1 p.m. (EST).