Some of these players were little kids following the Flying Dutch when Hope won the title in 2006 and played for it in 2010. Now they'll get a shot at bringing another national title back to Holland, Michigan. Photo by Dan Hunter, d3photography.com

By Gordon Mann
D3hoops.com

PITTSBURGH, Pa – After waiting two years for the chance to play for a NCAA Division III women’s basketball championship, the Hope College Flying Dutch are now less than two days away from that opportunity.

No. 2 Hope scored a bunch early and then just enough late to hold off MIAA rival Trine, 57-52, in the 2022 NCAA Division III women’s basketball tournament semifinals on Thursday evening.

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The game opened with a Hope celebration as junior guard Claire Baguley received the Elite 90 award given to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average at each final four site. Baguley has a 3.97 GPA in environmental science with a concentration in chemistry.

The Flying Dutch looked relaxed before the tip-off, with the reserves dancing to the warm-up music and the starters smiling broadly as they were introduced in front of the hundreds of orange-and-blue clad Hope fans that made the six-hour drive to Western Pennsylvania.

The celebratory mood continued into the game itself as Hope jumped on Trine immediately, hitting its first four shots and keeping the Thunder to one field goal attempt in the first two minutes.  Sydney Muller’s layup made it 8-0 and chased Trine into a timeout to regroup.

“We were just really excited to be here. There were some anxieties and nerves going into it. We just wanted to calm ourselves down and get out as fast as we could,” said Kenedy Schoonveld of the Flying Dutch’s hot start.

After the timeout, Trine went on a 7-0 run keyed by Kaylee Argyle’s three-point play. Hope scored the final four points of the period and led 12-7 entering the second quarter. The Flying Dutch held Trine to 3 for 13 shooting in the first quarter while the Thunder held Hope to its second-lowest scoring period of the Tournament.

The second period was a slow-motion replay of the first period. Hope again opened the quarter with a run, Trine countered, and Hope finished the scoring to seize momentum back. Trine pulled within six on three free throws split between Rachel Stewart and Argyle, only to see Kate Majerus score a layup at the buzzer and send Hope into the half with a 24-16 lead.

The teams entered the locker room with a combined 16 field goals against 19 turnovers and 0-for-15 from three.

Hope again started the third period on a run, this time led by Kenedy Schoonveld. The All-American scored six points in the opening minutes of the half, the last one a pull-jumper off a loose ball that staked the Flying Dutch to a 32-19 lead. Claire Baguely hit a three midway through the third period – the first made shot from behind the arc for either team – and Schoonveld added another before the period was over.

Hope led 47-36 entering the fourth period, and that’s when Trine came to life.

Tara Bieniewicz, who is Trine’s leading scorer this season, got her only points of the night on a three-pointer that cut Hope’s lead to 47-39. Kelsey Taylor followed with a layup to cut Hope’s lead to six and that’s where it stayed until Trine forward Sam Underhill scored a three-point play and Kayla Wildman drilled a three to pull the game even at 52-all.

The tie score lasted less than 25 seconds because Hope’s Sydney Muller scored a bucket to put Hope back up.Trine had several chances to tie the game, the last one coming on a missed three with under a minute to play. Hope rebounded the shot with 42 seconds left and, after a timeout, got the ball inside to Olivia Voskuil. The senior center contorted over the Trine defender and hit the turnaround jumper. On Trine’s next possession, Voskuil stepped in front of a pass intended for Sam Underhill and stole the ball, ending the Thunder’s hope for a comeback.

When asked after the game about responding to Trine’s rally, Hope Coach Brian Morehouse pointed to Muller’s basket.

“The game got sped up for us in the second half and they made their run. I thought the really critical point is that they never took the lead. They caught us, but they never took the lead. I think that there is some comfort in knowing that you’re at least still tied.”

Sydney Muller's bucket put No. 2 Hope in front of No. 5 Trine for good in Thursday night's national semifinal. Photo by Dan Hunter, d3photography.com

Schoonveld finished with 15 points on 7-for-14 shooting while Muller added 13 and Ella McKinney added 12 off the bench. Rachel Stewart led Trine with 16 points on 6 for 8 shooting.

Two seasons ago Hope was undefeated, ranked No. 1 in the country and eying a run to the national championship when the 2020 NCAA Tournament was cancelled midway through the event. Last season Hope was again undefeated and ranked No. 1 but NCAA Division III did not have a national tournament, and the Flying Dutch’s season ended with a win over Trine in the MIAA Tournament finale.

This time beating Trine will give the Flying Dutch a chance to play for a national championship. Hope will face No. 12 UW-Whitewater at 2 pm ET in Saturday afternoon’s national championship game. The Warhawks defeated No. 8 Amherst, 55-51, in the earlier semifinal.

When asked about waiting two years to reach this point, Kenedy Schoonveld reflected back to her childhood, growing up with Olivia Voskuil in Holland, Michigan.

“You just dream about these moments since we were little. We saw those players go through it, and that’s what you strive for and what you want,” said Schoonveld. “We worked really, really hard through COVID to get to this point. Now that this is a reality, it’s one of the best things to be a part of.”

“I’ve just been thinking about this and dreaming about this for so long, and now that it’s actually happening, it doesn’t quite feel real yet,” said Voskuil.