After junior guard Dan Borcherdt hit a jumper to give MVNU (10-1) an early 2-0 lead, the host Flying Dutchmen (8-2) built an 11-4 advantage behind five points from Marcus Vanderheide and a three-pointer each from Jesse Reimink and Derek VanSolkema.

The Cougars, who are ranked seventh in the most recent NAIA Division II poll, answered with a 10-2 run to go in front 14-13 on a trey by junior guard Ben Falkenberg at the 14:27 mark as senior post Connor Gregg (left) scored four points and Borcherdt nailed a three-pointer of his own to fuel the surge.

With MVNU holding an 18-17 lead with 11:26 remaining in the half, Hope, which is ranked eighth in NCAA Division III, went on a 28-11 run to build a commanding 45-29 cushion with 4:32 left before halftime. The Cougars committed six turnovers during this stretch that led to that led to 10 points for the Flying Dutchman as Ryan Klein led the surge with eight points and Reimink nailed a pair of treys.

MVNU was able to pull within 52-44 as the teams went to the locker rooms at the break as the Cougars closed the half on a 15-7 run led by four points each from Borcherdt and junior forward Jadin Thomas and a three-pointer by Falkenberg.

Gregg led MVNU with 16 first-half points as he went 8-for-8 from the field and grabbed three rebounds. Borcherdt added 12 points, while Falkenberg tossed in eight points. The Cougars shot 58.1 percent from the field (18-for-31), 40.0 percent from three-point range (4-for-10), and 80.0 percent from the free throw line (4-for-5). However, MVNU committed 13 turnovers that led to 18 points for Hope.

Klein led the Flying Dutchmen with 15 points, while Reiminik nailed a trio of three-pointers for nine points. Hope shot 52.9 percent from the field (18-for-34), 33.3 percent from three-point range (5-for-15), and 84.6 percent at the free throw line (11-for-13). The Flying Dutchmen also held a slim 16-15 rebounding advantage and committed just seven turnovers.

Vanderheide scored six quick points for Hope to start the second half and a three-pointer by Klein at the 15:35 mark gave the Flying Dutchmen a comfortable 64-50 lead.

However, a pair of treys by Borcherdt and a basket each by freshman guard Brandon Short (right) and Falkenberg closed the gap to 66-60 with 13:25 remaining in the game.

That would prove to be as close as the Cougars would get the rest of the way, though. With the score 79-71 with 7:44 to play, Hope used a 17-6 run to close the game and pull away for the 96-77 victory to claim the tournament title for the 13th time in the 19-year history of the event. The win also improved the Flying Dutchmen’s record in the fabulous, three-year-old DeVos Fieldhouse to 35-2.

“This may be as good of a team as we will see this year,” said MVNU head coach Scott Flemming. “Combine that with a packed house and it was not an easy task today. I thought we did a good job of weathering several of their runs, but we were not able to come back from that last one.”

“Their depth was definitely a factor tonight,” Flemming added. “It is always difficult to experience that first loss after a long winning streak, but we will learn from this and bounce back.”

Falkenberg, who was named to the All-Tournament Team, led all scorers with 22 points including an 8-for-8 showing at the free throw line. Borcherdt (left) added 20 points and four rebounds, and Gregg finished with 18 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the field. Short had career highs of 10 points and seven rebounds off the bench, while Thomas grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. The Cougars shot 49.2 percent from the field (29-for-59), 33.3 percent from three-point range (6-for-18), and 86.7 percent at the free throw line (13-for-15). However, 19 turnovers resulted in 24 points for Hope.

Klein led the Flying Dutchmen with 20 points and six rebounds, while Vanderheide added 17 points, six rebounds, and five assists. Reimink contributed 15 points, nine rebounds, and seven steals, and VanSolkema tossed in 12 points. Hope shot 48.5 percent from the field (32-for-66), 34.6 percent from three-point range (9-for-26), and 82.1 percent from the free throw line (23-for-28).

MVNU will return to action next Friday when the Cougars begin a two-day trip to New York with a non-conference game at Roberts Wesleyan College at 7:30 p.m. Then, on Saturday, the team will travel to Houghton College for a 2:00 p.m. non-conference tip.