PICTURED ABOVE: Katie McDaniels scored a career high 38 points in Wheaton's 99-97 overtime loss at Hope on Tuesday night.

Holland, Mich. - A Top-25 matchup did not disappoint on Tuesday night as the Thunder women's basketball team opened its season at Hope College. Ranked 21st in the D3hoops.com Preseason Top 25, the Thunder built a healthy first half lead only to see the Flying Dutch eliminate the lead with a lopsided third quarter. Ranked #13 in the same preseason poll, Hope rallied in the final minute of regulation to force overtime and took the lead for good on a lay-up with 1.5 seconds remaining for the 99-97 victory.

Katie McDaniels led the way for the Thunder with 38 points and 10 assists to break the DeVos Fieldhouse record for most points scored in a women's game. Her 38 points tied Sarah Harris for the fourth-highest single game total in program history. Additionally, McDaniels moved past Janet Ahlborn into seventh place on Wheaton's career scoring list, crossing the 1,200 career point mark in the process. Her 17 made field goals tied Nicole Merchant and Sunnie Kemp for the single-game program record.

Wheaton shot 48.2% (41-85) from the field including a 42.1% (8-19) mark from beyond the arc. Wheaton made seven of its 11 free throw attempts for a 63.6% clip. Hope shot 51.4% (38-74) from the field and made half of its 16 three-point attempts. The Flying Dutch were 83.3% (15-18) from the free throw line. Wheaton held a slim 41-39 advantage in rebounds including a 17-12 edge in offensive rebounds.

The Thunder pushed the lead to as many as 19 points in the first half, using a 12-2 run midway through the second quarter that included seven points from McDaniels. A late lay-up by the Flying Dutch allowed Hope to cut Wheaton's halftime advantage to 52-36. Wheaton's 52 first half points tied for the most first half points scored by a visiting team in DeVos Fieldhouse history. The late lay-up would serve as a jumpstart to a 14-0 Hope run that brought the Flying Dutch back to within six points early in the third quarter. McDaniels would build the lead back up to nine points, but a subsequent 13-4 run tied the game at 64. Hope would close out the third quarter with a 68-65 lead.

Hope's lead reached its biggest of the game when an Angelique Gaddy three-point put the hosts up 71-65. Wheaton would counter with an 11-3 run to take the lead on a Kelly Lawson three-pointer with 5:30 remaining in the fourth quarter. The lead would seesaw through the middle of the fourth quarter until a quick 5-0 Hope run pushed them to an 86-82 lead with just 1:52 remaining. Lay-ups by McDaniels and Maggie Dansdill (PICTURED RIGHT) tied the score at 88 and another McDaniels lay-up gave Wheaton the lead with 1:05 remaining. Hope's Elizabeth Perkins would hit two free throws with 43 seconds left to tie the game at 88-88 and ultimately send the game into overtime.

Chantal Meacham's three-pointer gave Wheaton the initial overtime lead but Hope rallied once again to take the lead on a Gaddy lay-up midway through the overtime period and would lead 95-93 with 1:57 remaining. A three-pointer by McDaniels was answered by a Francesca Buchanan jumper with 37 seconds lead to keep Hope ahead 97-96. Leading and holding possession with 16 seconds remaining, Kelly Lawson forced a steal on the inbounds pass and shoveled the ball ahead to McDaniels who was fouled with 10 seconds remaining. McDaniels would split the pair of free throws, tying the game. Following a timeout, Hope was able to drive the length of the floor and Madison Geers' contested lay-up fell with 1.5 seconds remaining to give the Flying Dutch the dramatic 99-97 victory.

Maggie Dansdill recorded career highs in points and rebounds with a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double. Kelly Lawson added 16 points and Devin Kyler chipped in 11 points with seven rebounds and four blocks. Francesca Buchanan led five Hope players in double figures with 27 points scored.

Wheaton will host Blackburn at 3 PM in its home opener on Friday afternoon as part of the 2016 Beth Baker Classic. Click here for more information including the full weekend schedule for the 2016 Beth Baker Classic.