Game Notes: College of Faith vs Hope College (11/16/12)

I normally save these kinds of features for games I attend, and try to do them immediately after the game is over, but I'm doing a retroactive Game Notes on the fourth anniversary of this game because, why not. This game deserves its recognition.

Final Score
Hope 118, College of Faith 20

Game Summary
Where do I even begin? The Dutchmen (1-0) won the opening tip, got a dunk four seconds into the game, and it just went downhill from there. The Mighty Believers (0-1) (yes, that was their actual team name at the time), fell behind 7-0 before scoring their first basket 100 seconds into the game. After going to their bench to get the starters some rest following a made free throw, the Dutch went on a 24-0 run spanning six and a half minutes to blow it open. The Mighty Believers managed a few more points, breaking into double digits with a little over five minutes to play in the half, but Hope scored the final 19 points of the stanza to lead 67-11 going into the break. They scored four unanswered to start the second half, surrendered a jumper, and then the floodgates opened as Hope went on an 11 minute, 30-0 run capped by a three that put Hope over the century mark before a three with about seven and a half minutes left snapped the drought. The Dutchmen had a chance to make it a 100 point margin, but after a missed jumper at the end of the shot clock with 32 seconds left resulted in an offensive rebound, they opted to run out the clock and end this affair.

Key Stats

• College of Faith: 6-50 FG (12.0%), 3-14 3PT (16.7%), 5-24 FT (20.8%). I've seen teams shoot poorly before, but never like this. The three point performance I can understand; that's not out of the realm of possibility. But to only make three of your 36 two point shot attempts?! Granted, Hope played stellar defense, but still! The free throw performance is just inexcusable.
• Nate Snuggerud (HOPE): 13-13 (2-2 3PT), 1-2 FT; 29 pts, 11 reb (2 off), 3 stl. If only he had made that second free throw. Even so, a perfect day from the field is impressive, and that he made it a double-double in just 17 minutes of action is icing on the cake.
• Caleb Byers (HOPE): 8-9 FG, 3-6 FT; 19 pts, 3 reb (1 off), 1 ast, 1 blk, 5 stl. For reference: Byers averaged 5.3 points per game in 26 games that season, including 11 starts. But I feel safe assuming he never had a game quite like this one, especially since he did all that damage in just 12 minutes.

Final Thoughts
I've never seen a game like this one. I never will again. That's what makes this one so special. The paid attendance was only 56. Counting players, coaches, officials, and game staff, that makes me one of roughly 100 people who saw this game. I will tell my grandchildren about this game one day, they will think I'm making it up, and I will show them the picture I took of the scoreboard at the end as proof that this actually happened and I was there.

Photo by Robert Kurtycz (Hope Athletic Department)

Hope opened that season ranked #7 in the country according to D3hoops.com. They followed this win up with a loss to North Central, who would go on to a Final Four. The Dutchmen would finish 18-9 overall, losing in the MIAA Championship Game at Calvin. College of Faith, meanwhile, has expanded to multiple locations in the United States. Their uniforms are less intramural-like, but the NCAA has taken a hard look at the school. They have their place, but on a football field or basketball court against NCAA teams in games that count... sadly, no. That means that that game I announced on the afternoon of November 16, 2012 is of the type that will never occur again. It is lost to history, but it will always live on in my memories.