Orlando, Fla. - The men's basketball team was defeated by #8 Hope, 75-62 at the RVD Sportsplex Classic on Tuesday evening. The Maroons dropped to 4-2 on the season while the Flying Dutchmen improved to 6-1 overall. Hope wins the first-ever meeting vs. the Maroons. The Maroons are now 3-1 in non-conference play this season.

Senior forward and leading rebounder Josh LaPorte was out within the first two minutes as he picked up two quick fouls. The score remained tight as both teams fought back and forth with solid defensive play.

After a Hope technical foul from its bench with five minutes remaining, senior guard Ben Shrader hit four consecutive free throws to give the Maroons their largest lead of the half, 24-20.

Hope responded with a 12-1 run to end the half with a 32-25 advantage led by Ryan Klein and Will Bowser with seven points each. AJ Dowell finished the half with eight points while junior Aaron Tyson had five points and five rebounds in 11 first half minutes. Sophomore forward Kendrick Chittock helped the Maroon bench while in first half foul trouble, putting in nine minutes of productive play.

The Maroons fought back with hustle plays in the second half. A three-pointer by Shrader closed the gap to within one, 42-41 with 12 minutes remaining, ending a 16-8 run.

The Flying Dutchmen proved their ranking was legit, as the Maroons wouldn't get as close again, countering with a 23-10 run over the next six minutes to extend their lead to 13 and eventually clinch their sixth win.

Shrader poured in a season-high 15 points in the loss, hitting 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. Freshman guard Melvin Felix chipped in a career-high 11 points including 7-of-8 from the free-throw line. Dowell finished with 10 points and three steals. Tyson had seven points, eight rebounds and two blocks for the Maroons.

The Maroons will play tomorrow vs. Defiance (6-3) who earlier defeated #13 UW-Oskosh, 53-46. It will be the first-ever meeting against the Yellow Jackets.