HOLLAND, MI - The Benedictine University women's basketball team continued one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the nation by tangling with the consensus top-ranked team on the road.

FINAL SCORE
#1 Hope 99, Benedictine 50

THE DETAILS
- Britney Pitzer hit a three on the first offensive possession of the game to give Benedictine their lone lead of the game
- With the contest even at 4-4, Hope, who is the #1 ranked team in both polls, embarked on a 7-0 run to lead 11-4
- Benedictine was within 13-8 with 4:14 left in the opening quarter but did not score again as Hope finished with 10 straight to lead 23-8 after one
- Hope, who has won 53 consecutive games, continued the run with the first four points of the second
- Three times in the second quarter Benedictine was within 14 but faced a 41-22 halftime deficit
- A huge third saw the hosts open a 30-point lead nd led 72-44 entering the final 10 minutes
- Hope closed the game with a 16-0 run, holding Benedictine scoreless for the final 6:27 to streak to the win; Hope scored 58 points in the second half
- The contest marked the fourth loss to a ranked team this year, three of which are currently in the top-10
- The combined record of the teams in Benedictine's five losses is 39-2 while the entire non-conference slate encompasses a 42-10 mark with a single game remaining against 5-4 Calvin at home

STAT LEADERS
- Benedictine shot just 28.8 percent and turned the ball over 30 times which led to 38 Hope points
- Benedictine held a 43-42 advantage on the glass
- Pitzer made four three-pointers to finish with a game best 15 points
- Claire Gibler added 12, primarily in the second half
- Alex Fanning grabbed 10 rebounds

UP NEXT
Benedictine (4-5) returns to conference play on Saturday at MSOE