Alma, Mich. - In what might be the biggest game in the history of the Alma College men's basketball program, the Scots continued their mastery of opponents at Art Smith Arena, defeating No. 4 Hope College, 86-75. It is believed to be the first win by the Scots over a top 10 opponent in the D3hoops.com Top 25 poll.

With the victory, Alma extended its home court winning streak to 11 games and moved into sole possession of first place in the MIAA. The Scots are now 10-4 overall and the only undefeated team in the league at 3-0.

Sophomore Doug Bradfield (Mason, Mich./Mason) led all scorers with a career-high 20 points and added four blocks as the Scots controlled the game from start to finish. Bradfield had a big dunk in the beginning of the game to get the record crowd fired up, then finished with another jam in the closing minutes to send the crowd into a frenzy.

Senior Scott Nikodemski (Rockford, Mich./Rockford) added 16 points while junior Trevor Gernaat (McBain, Mich./Northern Michigan Christian) chipped in 13 and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.

Ben Gardner led the Dutch (12-2 overall, 2-1 MIAA) with 16 points as Hope saw its nine-game winning streak snapped with its second straight loss at Art Smith Arena.

Alma held a six-point lead at the break and secured a 14-point lead with 11:11 to play. The Dutch could get no closer than seven points the rest of the way as the Scots had an answer for every Hope attempt to climb back into the contest.

The Scots finished the game shooting .596 (34-57) from the floor, including .435 (10-23) from three-point range. Alma also forced the Dutch to commit 18 turnovers and were able to block seven shots.

Alma has now won five in a row and nine of the last 10 and will travel to Grand Rapids, Mich., on Saturday, Jan. 16, to face Calvin College. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Van Noord Arena. The Scots have dropped the last 16 games at Calvin and will be looking for their first win in Grand Rapids against the Knights since the 1998-99 campaign. 

NOTES

• The Scots 10 wins after 14 games is the fastest Alma has reached the 10-win mark since the 1973-74 campaign. That season, the Scots finished with a 13-8 record.

• An Art Smith Arena basketball record crowd of 751 attended the game.

• Alma's home winning streak was extended to 11 games.

• The Scots are now on a season-high winning streak of five games and have won nine of their last 10 outings.

• Alma is now 2-3 against Top 25 teams, including 2-0 in their last two contests. Alma defeated No. 23 St. Norbert on its home floor before triumphing over the No. 4 Dutch.

• Alma has secured a 10-win season in back-to-back campaigns for the first time since winning 10 games in the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons. The Scots won 11 contests last year.

• The Scots have scored 80 or more points in their last seven games. When they score 80+ points, Alma is 8-1.

• Scott Nikodemski tied a career-high with two three-pointers. Nikodemski has netted 10 or more points in all but one game this season. The second-ranked shooter in NCAA Division III, Nikodemski was 6-for-8 from the field.

• Trevor Gernaat was a perfect 6-or-6 from the field while playing a career-high 34 minutes.

• Kevin Gamble hit his first three-pointer of the season.

• Doug Bradfield netted a career-high 20 points, matching his output against Olivet on Jan. 14, 2015. Bradfield also tied a season-high with four blocks.

QUOTES

Head Coach Sam Hargraves

On the game...

"This was big step. Going into this game, nobody knows. We've done some nice things, but you don't know for sure what you are yet. This was the big game. Anytime you can beat Hope, anywhere, is a great win. It's going to be a nightmare to try to beat them in Holland in a month, but we held serve. Teams that have a chance to win the MIAA have to win at home, then they have to win a couple on the road and I think it's going to be a really competitive league. It's a nice step, but it's just a step."

On the crowd...

"The students were awesome and they always are. I felt like we had a nice group from the community and that's huge. I hope they liked what they saw, I hope they get on board, and I hope they think we are a fun team to watch because of how hard we work. It's just wonderful to have them here, there's no question how much it adds to it. It's a fun environment in here when people come out."