Guards Angelique Gaddy and Paris Madison made it a point to keep the unbeaten and fourth-ranked Hope College women's basketball team out of trouble against Calvin.
The two handled their rival's pressing and trapping defense and helped set the table for the Flying Dutch's 79-47 win on Wednesday that put them alone atop the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association.
"I thought Paris and Geeky did an amazing job knowing when to step on the accelerator and knowing when to pump the brakes and get us into some good flow on offense," Hope coach Brian Morehouse. "They really controlled the game from the point guard position."
Hope never trailed in The Rivalry's 114th women's basketball game en route to improving its record to 16-0 overall and 8-0 in MIAA play.
The fourth-ranked team in both the Women's Basketball Coaches Association and D3Hoops.com polls handed the Knights their first loss in eight league games.
Gaddy contributed 10 points, two assists and one steals in 17 minutes on the court. The junior from Caledonia, Michigan (Grand Rapids South Christian HS) faced the Knights for the first time since missing last season due to injury.
Madison totaled a game-high seven assists in 22 minutes. The junior from Grand Rapids, Michigan (Grand Rapids Christian HS) also scored five points and made one steal.
The impacts of Gaddy and Madison — as well as all the ballhandlers Hope used — were not measured by stats, Morehouse said.
"It was very important we were able to put multiple guards with Geeky and Paris," Morehouse said. "We intentionally put extra point guards on the floor because we have so much trouble with their pressing game. They handled the intensity of their press and traps really well. We didn't panic and dribble into spots you shouldn't dribble."
Freshman forward Francesca Buchanan of Grant, Michigan (Sparta HS) scored 16 points off the bench to lead Hope.
Junior forward Mandy Traversa of Winfield, Illinois (Wheaton North HS) added 13 points for the Flying Dutch.
Hope charged to a 36-15 halftime lead. It was the fewest points the Flying Dutch had allowed in a half this season.
Hope limited Calvin to 29.2 percent shooting from the field (19-of-65) and 16.7 percent from 3-point range with four 3-pointers on 24 attempts.
The Flying Dutch outrebounded Calvin by a 55-30 margin.
Calvin fell to 12-4 overall. No Calvin player scored more than six points.
Hope returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 23 at Trine. Tipoff is 1 p.m.
