CSR (Basketball Teams Claim Victories over Alma/Olivet & Prepare for Big Final Week)

From: Jeff Febus <jfebus@calvin.edu>
Date: Sat Feb 14 2004 - 17:54:02 EST

CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2004

MEN'S BASKETBALL

ALMA * The Calvin/Hope men's basketball rivalry will once again decide the MIAA Championship. Calvin earned a chance to play for a share of the final league crown with a 97-73 victory at Alma College Saturday afternoon, allowing the Knights (15-8 overall, 8-3 MIAA) to remain within a half-game of league-leading Hope (8-2 MIAA) in the league standings. Hope was a 76-59 winner over Olivet Saturday afternoon.

Wednesday's game between Calvin and Hope will mark the 154th meeting between the two rivals in a series that sees Calvin holding a 78-75 series lead. A victory by either team will clinch a share of the MIAA crown.

"We're very excited to have the opportunity to play for a championship," said Calvin coach Kevin Vande Streek. "Having the league championship on the line should make for a fun atmosphere Wednesday night. Part of what makes the Calvin/Hope rivalry so special is that the league championship is usually riding on the line when the two teams meet this late in the year."

Calvin's victory over Alma also provided a milestone for Vande Streek as it marked the 250th victory of his collegiate coaching career. Now in his 14th year of collegiate coaching, Vande Streek is now 250-137 (.646) at the collegiate level including 157-57 (.734) in eight years at Calvin.

In addition, Calvin reached the 15-win plateau for the 20th straight year with Saturday's win.

Senior Kevin Broene (Grand Rapids Christian HS) provided the leadership in the victory over the Scots (1-9 MIAA, 3-20 overall), with a game-high 20 points on 8-of-8 shooting from the floor including 3-of-3 from beyond the arc. Juniors Dan Aultman (Mason County Central HS) and Ricky Shilts (Kalamazoo Central HS) had 16 points apiece with senior Chris Prins (Escondido, CA) adding 15 points. Alma was led by Eric and Anthony Jones with 16 points apiece.

Calvin used a 14-4 scoring run in the first half to break the game open and led 50-33 at halftime.

Calvin shot 50 percent overall and finished the game with a 35-29 rebounding edge. Winning the battle of the boards was not lost on Vande Streek. "We've come a long way with our rebounding," said Vande Streek. "At the start of the year, we were the worst rebounding team in the league. Heading into today, we were leading the league in rebounding margin. Our improvement in that area has played a big role in our team's success and is one of the reasons why we are in position to play for a championship Wednesday night."

Calvin also shot 75 percent from the free throw line Saturday, connecting on 18 of 24 attempts at the charity stripe.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

GRAND RAPIDS*After cruising to its 16th straight victory on Thursday evening against Rochester, the Calvin Women's Basketball team came away with a victory in come-from-behind fashion against Olivet, 65-53. The Knights (19-3, 11-1 MIAA) have now won 17 games in a row and head into their final week of MIAA play a half-game behind league-leading Hope (12-1 MIAA).

The first half featured back and forth action, as the lead changed hands seven times before Calvin took the lead heading into halftime on a Rita Ouwinga (McBain Northern Michigan Christian) 3-pointer with two minutes left. Junior Kristen McDonald (West Catholic) scored all of her nine first-half points during a two-minute span midway through the half, connected on her first three 3-point attempts of the game. The Knights led 31-27 at the break.

Olivet did not go quiet in the second half, as the Comets came out of the locker room and took the lead back with 14 minutes left at 35-33. The lead was short-lived, however, as the Knights knotted the score on the ensuing possession and took the lead for good on a McDonald 3-pointer the following trip down the court. Calvin would extend its lead to double digits with four minutes to go at 53-43, and held on to win with some clutch free-throw shooting in the final minutes. The Knights connected on 11 of their last 12 attempts from the charity stripe.

Calvin was a respectable 49% from the floor, including a red-hot 54% (7-13) from beyond the arc. The free-throw line was a different story for the Knights, as they struggled to a 64% (16-25) clip. The Comets hit just 36% (18-50) of their shots and 23% of their 3-point attempts. Olivet was a bit more active on the boards, pulling down 31 rebounds to Calvin's 28.

Two Knights made it into double-figures in the win. McDonald led all scorers with 22 points on 7-10 shooting (5-7 on three pointers), and freshman Lisa Winkle added 12 points and 6 rebounds. Ouwinga and fellow junior Lesa Holleman (Southwest Minnesota Christian) provided points off the bench with 7 apiece. Olivet was led by Amanda Johnston with 14 points and 11 boards.

Calvin will return to action on Tuesday night in a road game with third place Albion slated to start at 7:30 P.M.

Jeff Febus
Sports Information Director
Calvin College
(616) 526-6169 Office
(616) 526-8551 Fax
Received on Sat Feb 14 17:55:27 2004

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