Hope College Women’s Basketball On 61-Game Winning Streak

There is another prominent state of Michigan basketball team that you might not know about, but is having another great season.

Hope College, located in Holland, MI, holds the national record for the longest active winning streak in women's college basketball.  The Lady Flying Dutch have won 61 straight games dating back to March of 2019.

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It is also the fourth-longest winning streak all time in the history of Division III women's basketball.  Their streak was extended earlier this week when they defeated St. Mary's (IN) 101-41.  The Flying Dutch are 16-0 on the season.  The closest game they've played in this season occurred on December 18th when they beat Trine University 70-61 in Angola, Indiana.

Yet, despite the incredible streak, Hope has not won the National Championship.  They don't even have a Elite Eight, or Final Four appearance, either.

You can blame COVID-19 for that.  Hope had qualified for the Sweet 16 of the Division III NCAA Women's Tournament in March of 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic began and the NCAA canceled all postseason basketball tournaments at all levels.

And because of COVID, there was no 2021 Tournament either (they were 16-0 last season).  So, Hope is looking for the school's first national title since 2006 and third national crown overall (they also won the DIII title in 1990) despite this incredible streak.

Hope has eight games remaining in their regular season before the annual Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) conference tournament (starting on February 23rd).  The NCAA Division III NCAA Women's Tournament  is after that, and will conclude on March 17th-19th in Pittsburgh, Pa.