Skip to Navigation | Skip to Content

Women's Rivalry: The History

Decade-by-decade

  • 1960s – Calvin won 9-0
  • 1970s – Calvin won 12-0
  • 1980s – Calvin won 16-7
  • 1990s – Calvin won 19-8
  • 2000s – Hope won 19-5
  • 2010s - Hope leads 3-0

The all-time series

  • Spans 42 years
  • 98 games
  • Calvin leads 61-37

Fast facts

Updated February 28, 2010

  • The Hope/Calvin women's basketball rivalry started in 1965 with a 49-35 Calvin victory.

  • Through 98 games, Calvin leads the all-time series 61-37.

  • Since women's basketball became an official MIAA sport in 1978-79, Calvin leads the series 41-36.

  • Since 2000, Hope holds a 22-5 series advantage.

  • Hope defeated Calvin three times during the 2005-06 season enroute to winning the NCAA Division III national championship. Two of the wins came during the regular season and the third in the championship game of the conference tournament.

  • The teams have combined to win 22 of the 32 MIAA championships through 2008-09, 11 by Calvin and 11 by Hope.

  • The teams have been to the NCAA tournament a combined 22 times, 11 by Calvin and 11 by Hope. Hope's best NCAA finish was winning the national championship in 1990 and 2006 while Calvin's best has been playing in the Sectional finals twice (2005 & 2007). Both teams have advanced to the NCAA tournament in the same year on four occasions (1998, 1999, 2006 and 2007), but they've never met. Hope is 22-9 in NCAA games while Calvin is 14-11.

  • The teams have played each other 11 times in the MIAA tournament since 1993. Hope has a 7-4 advantage. The teams have met in the MIAA tournament championship game five times with Hope winning them all—59-43 in 1995, 73-71 in overtime in 1998, 63-44 in 2006, 71-68 in 2007 and 68-49 in 2010.

  • Hope coach Brian Morehouse is 24-12 in games against Calvin since 1996-97. Calvin coach John Ross is 4-14 in games against Hope since 2003-04.

  • Calvin's longest winning streak in the series was 22 games (1965-79) and the longest with Hope was nine (2000-04).

  • The most points by Hope in a game against Calvin was 89-51 in 2003. Calvin's most points was 87-71 in 1984.

  • The fewest points by Hope in a game against Calvin was in a 73-19 loss in 1975. The fewest points by Calvin was in a 28-25 win in 1967.

  • Hope's biggest margin of victory was 38 points (89-51) in 2003. Calvin's biggest margin of victory was 54 points (73-19) in 1975.

  • Two games have gone into overtime, Hope winning 55-53 in 1995 and Calvin 63-58 in 2007.

  • 21 of the games have been decided by five or fewer points with Calvin holding a 12-9 advantage. In one-point games Calvin leads 2-0 (59-58 in 1981 and 61-60 in 1984).

  • Karla Hoesch Wolters, Hope Class of 1973 and a member of the Hope College Kinesiology faculty, coached Calvin to the 1979 MIAA championship. She was 3-0 in games she coached her Calvin teams against Hope from 1977-79.

    Chronology of all-time Calvin-Hope women's basketball scores

Facts complied by Tom Renner, Hope College, and Jeff Febus, Calvin College