Hope 71, Ohio Wesleyan 63

March 14, 2008

Junior wing Kyle Holliday (Van Wert) converted a 3-point play that tied the game at 47-47, but top-ranked Hope answered with an 8-2 run and held off an Ohio Wesleyan comeback to defeat the Bishops in an NCAA Division III sectional semifinal game on Friday at Hope College in Holland, Mich.

Hope advances to the sectional championship game on Saturday to face Wheaton (Ill.), with the winner of that game going on to the national semifinals on March 21-22 in Salem, Va.

The Bishops trailed, 30-18, with just under 6 minutes left in the first half when Holliday buried a 3-pointer to start the Ohio Wesleyan rally.

Senior post Jesse Jean (Alexandria, Va./Hyde (Conn.) School) followed with a bucket and junior wing Kyle Miller (Delaware/Hayes) followed with a 3-pointer, and when junior wing Mitch Noggle (Dublin/Coffman) hit a 3-pointer with 2:03 left in the first half, Ohio Wesleyan had come back to within 34-31.

Holliday's 3-point play evened the game at 47-47 with 12:20 left in regulation time, but Derek VanSolkema responded with a 3-pointer that put the Flying Dutchmen ahead to stay.

Holliday came back with a lay-in that brought the Bishops within 50-49, but VanSolkema hit a basket, then fed Jesse Reimink for a 3-pointer that stretched the Hope lead to 55-49 just under midway through the second half.

A 3-pointer from Miller and a putback by sophomore post Brent Pleiman (Russia) brought the Bishops within 57-54 with 8:25 to go, and Ohio Wesleyan would hold Hope scoreless for over 3 minutes from that point, but the Bishops turned the ball over twice and missed 3 shots from the field during that stretch and were unable to close the gap any further.

Miller's lay-in with 5:00 left in regulation time made it a 59-56 game, but Hope outscored the Bishops 8-1 during the next 3 minutes, with Marcus Vanderheide contributing a basket and 2 free throws.

Jean's authoritative dunk with 2:26 remaining ended the Bishop dry spell, and a Holliday basket with 1:19 left shaved the deficit to 67-61, but the Flying Dutchmen sealed the outcome with a Reiminik lay-in and a pair of free throws by VanSolkema.

The Bishops opened the game with Jean going strong to the hoop for the first points of the contest, but Hope countered with a 3-pointer and a lay-in from VanSolkema and a Tyler Wolfe lay-in to take a 7-2 lead.

Jean and Holliday scored to bring the Bishops back to within a single marker, and Ohio Wesleyan was still within 14-12 when VanSolkema drilled a pair of 3-pointers 36 seconds apart to stretch the Flying Dutchmen lead to 20-12.

The Bishops closed the gap to 22-18 on Miller's basket with 8:55 left in the first half when Hope took off on an 8-0 run, getting hoops from Vanderheide, Klein, VanSolkema and Wolfe to take the 30-18 lead.

Holliday led Ohio Wesleyan with 18 points, while Jean finished with 17 and Miller added 10. Holliday and senior post Dustin Rudegeair (Yellow Springs) shared the Bishop lead with 7 rebounds apiece, and Jean led the Bishops with 2 assists.

VanSolkema led Hope with 24 points. Vanderheide added 17 points and Reimink and Wolfe had 12 points apiece.

Box Score