Jan. 21, 2009

Final Stats

ADRIAN, Mich. - The women's basketball team did not have an answer for a formidable frontcourt duo on Wednesday night as the fourth-ranked Flying Dutch defeated Adrian, 65-52, in league action from the Merillat Center in Adrian. Carrie Snikkers and Courtney Knox combined for 31 points, 27 rebounds and six blocked shots as Hope scored 32 points in the paint and 21 second-chance points off 18 offensive rebounds.

The Bulldogs really had a struggle cracking the Flying Dutch defense but all the while hung in there and made a game of it throughout. The first half saw Adrian take the lead on three occasions with their largest lead being two points at 17-15 with 10:17 left in the half. The big moment came at the 7:53 mark as the Bulldogs' leading scorer, Anita Stamps, picked up her third foul and sat out the rest of the half with no points. Despite this, the Bulldogs trailed by just nine points, 38-29, at the break. Snikkers had 12 points, seven boards and four blocks in 15 minutes while the Bulldogs were led by Elysia Norris and Katie Ross each with six points.

Adrian trailed 48-38 with 11:25 to play and Hope went on an 8-2 run over the next 2:52 to extend their lead to 56-40 and seemingly put the game out of reach. The Flying Dutch had back-to-back three-point plays by Snikkers and Kaitlyn Kopke which were backbreakers for the Bulldogs. AC got the lead down to 11 at 63-52 with 2:16 left but time had run out for a comeback attempt.

Neither team shot the ball well as Adrian ended at 27.6 percent (16-of-58) from the floor. The Bulldogs were 3-of-5 from the arc and shot the ball at the free throw line. AC was at 57.5 percent coming into the game and shot 17-of-23 (73.9%) from the charity stripe. Hope shot 33.3 percent (23-of-69) and were 4-of-14 from the arc and 15-of-23 at the free throw line. The telling stat of the night was a 26-11 edge in points off turnovers for Hope. Adrian coughed it up 25 times compared to 14 for the Flying Dutch. Jennifer Perrin scored six points and grabbed four rebounds. She also set a career-high with eight assists. Kayla Fowler fell one rebound shy of her career-high with seven boards in just eight minutes. Stamps led Adrian with nine points, all in the second half, on 4-of-9 shooting from the floor. Adrian (11-5, 4-4 MIAA) will return to their home court on Saturday with a 3:00 p.m. tip-off against Olivet College.