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#BeStrongBeTrue
95
Winner Wis.-Whitewater UWW 8-1,0-0 WIAC
92
Hope Hope 5-4,0-0 Michigan Intercol. Ath. Assn.
Winner
Wis.-Whitewater UWW
8-1,0-0 WIAC
95
Final
92
Hope Hope
5-4,0-0 Michigan Intercol. Ath. Assn.
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Wis.-Whitewater UWW 47 48 95
Hope Hope 49 43 92

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Alan Babbitt

Men's Basketball Stunned at Buzzer by Wisconsin-Whitewater

Like a Grinch, Isaac Verges robbed the Hope College men's basketball team of a cheerful finale heading into Christmas.

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater guard stole an inbounds pass at half court, then swished a 40-foot desperation heave to stun the Flying Dutchmen with a 95-92 loss on Friday at DeVos Fieldhouse.

The Warhawks (8-1) sank two long 3s over the final two seconds, dramatically concluding a back-and-forth game that featured 10 lead changes and 16 tie scores. Hope dropped to 5-4 on the season.

"It's unbelievably tough. I feel so bad for the guys," head coach Greg Mitchell said. "Our guys were amazing. The way we battled, the last four minutes we were down six, we deserved a fate based on how we played and the plays we made to give ourselves the advantage. You're in an advantage situation, up three late, you've got to finish it. We'll learn from it."

The Flying Dutchmen trailed, 76-70, with 6:50 remaining before ripping off a 14-4 run over the next 3:30 that was capped by a putback from sophomore Charles Howell (Cadillac, Michigan / Cadillac).

Hope remained ahead until Whitewater's Luke Bara sank a 3 with 1:39 remaining. Wourman's layup and a split at the foul line 19 seconds apart put the Flying Dutchmen ahead, 90-87, with 14 seconds remaining.

The teams traded two made free throws, leaving Hope ahead 92-89 with six seconds left. The Flying Dutchmen couldn't foul after the Whitewater inbounds, and the Warhawks' leading scorer, Collin Madson made them pay — burying a tying 25-foot 3 from the wing in front of his bench.

After a timeout, Howell attempted a long inbounds heave for junior Parker Hovey (Shelby, Michigan / Hart), but Verges intercepted it and immediately threw up the game-winner.

"That was a wild sequence. I thought we did a good job of executing," Whitewater coach Jarod Wichser said. "We told Verges to play free safety. He caught the ball, and I thought I wish I had a timeout. He let it go, and I thought, 'It doesn't look bad,' then it went through. Hope's a good team. We feel fortunate to come out of here with a win."

Mitchell took the blame for the inbounds play. He said the Flying Dutchmen were trying to throw to a location and a man, but the bench should have called a timeout when they saw Whitewater's defense.

Maddon and Verges topped four Warhawks in double figures with 20 and 19 points, respectively.

Hovey led Hope with a double-double of 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Cargill added 23 points, including a game-high four 3s. 

Wourman finished with 12. Sophomore center Orion Yant (Zeeland, Michigan / Zeeland West) scored a career-high 11 points after making his first start.

The Flying Dutchmen will next play in the new year when they host the second-annual Glenn Van Wieren Classic on Friday-Saturday, Jan. 2-3, at DeVos Fieldhouse.

Hope will host nationally-ranked Washington University in St. Louis on Friday at 7 p.m. and Muskingum University (Ohio) on Saturday at 2 p.m.

 
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