March 2, 2007

Maroons Fall to Hope in NCAA Tournament Opener

AURORA, Ill. -- Stephen Cramer scored 32 points, including six three-point field goals, as Hope College defeated the University of Chicago men's basketball team 76-54 in the opening round of the 2007 NCAA Division III tournament Friday night at Aurora University's Thornton Gymnasium.

Cramer, who was 13-for-17 from the field and 6-of-8 from three-point distance, exploded for 25 points in the first half as the Flying Dutchmen (24-4) built a 42-29 lead at the break.

Cramer tallied 15 of his first-half points during a seven-minute stretch as Hope expanded its lead from 13-8 at the 14:01 mark to 28-16 with 7:31 to play in the opening stanza.

A three-point basket by Chicago senior Drew Adams (Elida, Ohio/ Elida) cut Hope's lead to 32-23 with 4:52 remaining in the first period.

Cramer countered with a three-pointer 17 seconds later to put the Flying Dutchmen up 35-23. Hope would remain ahead by double digits the rest of the night.

Hope shot 58% from the field, including a 40% clip from behind the arc on 8-of-20 shooting. The Flying Dutch controlled the boards, as they grabbed 38 rebounds to the Maroons' 23.

Senior Jesse Meyer (Omaha, Neb./ Bellevue West) paced Chicago (20-6) with 16 points. He was 4-for-7 from three-point distance, giving him a school record 71 treys on the year.

Junior Nate Hainje (Brownsburg, Ind./ Brownsburg) added 10 points for Chicago, which shot 35% from the floor and 33% from three-point range (10-for-30).

Marcus Vanderheide (13), Derek Van Solkema (11), and Jesse Reimink (10) all finished in double figures for Hope.

Box Score