Women's Basketball: "Hope" ends in 2nd round

Dating back to Dec. 6, 2009, the women's basketball team could never find a team to challenge it in a game from beginning to end. The team finally met its match Saturday in the second round of the NCAA Div. III Tournament.After a 79-46 first-round win over Lakeland College Friday, the Tigers prepared to face the 2006 Div. III National Champions in No. 4 Hope College.

"We had watched some tape already on them going into the weekend to prepare," said head coach Kris Huffman. "We spent the night after Lakeland as a staff figuring out the game plan. They have size, quickness, athleticism and depth."

The strength of DePauw's defense could not stop the excellent play of Hope's star center Carrie Snikkers. Led by Snikkers' offense and active defense down in the paint, the Flying Dutch jumped out to an early 7-2 lead in the opening minutes of the game. Soon enough, DePauw found itself down 25-13 with only four minutes to play in the first half. The Tigers, led by senior Danielle Boraz, closed the gap to nine to end the first half down only 32-23.

"I liked our mentality in the game. It was physical. We finally found an opponent bigger than us and deeper than us, we handled it really well, and the start of the second half really showed the fight our team had," Huffman said.

The start of the second half featured the Tigers waking from their slumber. DePauw went on a 9-0 run to tie the game and bring the Tigers' bench to their feet. But as soon as the Tigers finally gained momentum and got into a good offensive flow, the Hope offense again took control of the game due to a critical shift in possession.

Huffman called into question a blocking foul called on senior forward Emily Marshall. Marshall attempted to draw a charge on defense, but the official saw it the other way. Marshall was called for her third foul, allowing Hope to keep possession but, more importantly, forcing Huffman to sit Marshall. The resulting shift in momentum allowed Hope to pull away.

"We knew it would take a good effort on their home court," Huffman said. "We tried to pressure the perimeter to limit the inside game. Overall, I thought we did a nice job on their post players."

The Tigers shot a season-low 29.2 percent from the floor, while Hope connected on 42.6 percent. The Tigers, holding to their nation-leading rebounding stat, held a 46-29 advantage in rebounding.

"I'm really proud of what this team accomplished this season. To go on the run they went on in December was impressive. They were a joy to coach," Huffman said. "I want to thank the seniors to the program for four years; they made a lasting impact with the coaching staff and teammates."

With a final score of 68-54, the Tigers ended their 22-game winning streak and finished their Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference championship season with a record of 26-4.

"It sucks to end your career on a loss. It was a sad locker room," Marshall said. "We just did not have our best game, and they had one of their best."

The Tigers finish the season with much to celebrate. The four seniors finished their careers with a perfect record of 49-0 at home and an overall record of 107-17. They claimed three SCAC championships and won the NCAA Div. III Championship in 2007.