SPORTS REPORT FOR FEB. 24, 2004
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
(Written by Calvin sports information student assistant David Buursma)
GRAND RAPIDS*The 2003-04 Calvin women's basketball team is just two wins away from tying the record of 22 victories in a row set by the 1995-96 squad, but more importantly, the Knights move into the semi-finals of the MIAA Tournament after taking care of St. Mary's (IN) 82-48 in first-round action.
Calvin also received news of its first national ranking since the 1999-2000 season on Tuesday as the Knights are ranked 24th in the latest D3hoops.com Top-25 poll.
The outcome of the game was never in question; as junior Kristen McDonald (West Catholic HS) and senior Kim Wolthuis (South Christian HS) set the tone early by drilling her first shots on the opening two possessions, allowing Calvin to sprint out to a 4-0 lead just 25 seconds in. The early burst was part of a 9-2 run in the opening minute and a half. The Belles responded with a 5-0 spurt of their own to pull within two points at 9-7, but that was as close as St. Mary's would get. McDonald gave the Knights some breathing room, scoring 12 points over the next 9 minutes to power a 24-7 Calvin run and put the game out of reach at 35-14. She ended the half with 17 points and the Knights took a 42-20 lead into the break.
The opening possession of the half for Calvin was the epitome of the way the ball bounced all game long for the Knights. After a quick turnover by the Belles, the Knights took full advantage of a couple more St. Mary's turnovers and three offensive boards when a three-pointer by Wolthuis finally found the bottom of the net after five missed shots in a row by Calvin. The possession lasted just under a minute and broke the back of the Belles. An 18-5 run to open the half provided the Knights with a comfortable 60-25 lead and the Knights coasted to the 34-point victory.
St. Mary's struggled to control the basketball all game long, turning it over 24 times compared to 14 for the Knights. Calvin won the rebounding battle, pulling down 44 boards to St. Mary's 36.
Overall, the Knights were 47% (34-72) from the field and just 30% (6-20) from beyond the arc. The Belles connected on just 28% of their shots and missed all seven of their first-half three-point attempts.
McDonald led all scorers with 17 points, included a 4-of-9 clip from three-point land. She also dished out five assists in 17 minutes of play. Three other Knights reached double figures, as Wolthuis, freshman Lisa Winkle (South Christian HS), and senior Kim Peterson (Ludington HS), all collected 10 points in the win. The effort was a career-high for Peterson, as she came off the bench to shoot 5-9 from the field. Calvin enjoyed a 35-15 advantage in scoring from the bench on the evening.
Two players made it into double-figures for the Belles, as Bridget Lipke netted 15 points and Bridge Boyce put in 11.
Calvin will return to action Thursday evening at 7:30 when it hosts an MIAA semi-final game with Kalamazoo. The #5 seed Hornets moved into the semis with a 76-58 upset win on the road at #4 seed Alma.
Thursday's other semifinal will pit #3 seed Albion at #2 seed Hope. Thursday's winners will meet in the championship game Saturday at 3:00 p.m. at the site of the highest remaining seed.
Other First Round MIAA Tournament Scores Feb. 24, 2004
Albion 77, Adrian 59
Hope 72, Olivet 52
Kalamazoo 76, Alma 58
The D3hoops.com women's basketball Top 25, through games of Sunday, Feb. 22, 2004:
# Team W-L Pts. Last Week
1 Bowdoin (25) 24-0 625 1
2 Southern Maine 24-1 599 2
3 Trinity (Texas) 22-2 553 4
4 Scranton 23-2 487 3
5 Messiah 23-2 482 7
6 UW-Stevens Point 22-3 472 6
7 Johns Hopkins 21-2 469 8
8 New York University 22-2 414 14
9 DePauw 22-3 403 10
10 Hardin-Simmons 23-2 384 9
11 Washington U. 20-4 362 5
12 Baldwin-Wallace 22-3 305 18
13 Rochester 20-4 294 15
14 Carleton 22-3 228 11
15 St. Benedict 21-4 215 13
16 UW-Oshkosh 19-5 190 16
17 Hope 22-3 188 12
18 Eastern Connecticut 21-4 178 20
19 UW-Eau Claire 20-5 174 21
20 DeSales 21-4 161 23
21 Ithaca 20-3 125 17
22 McDaniel 21-3 123 24
23 Marymount 22-4 100 19
24 Calvin 21-3 83 -
25 Pacific Lutheran 18-4 80 -
Dropped out: No. 22 Brandeis, No. 25 St. John Fisher
Others receiving votes: St. John Fisher 73, Salem State 68, Gustavus Adolphus 56, Gwynedd-Mercy 53, Buena Vista 47, Brandeis 35, Otterbein 22, Union 18, Thomas More 12, Wesleyan 9, Catholic 7, Millikin 7, Rowan 7, Capital 3, King's 3, Chapman 2, Albion 1, Wittenberg 1.
The D3hoops.com Top 25 is voted on by a panel of 25 coaches, Sports Information Directors and media members from across the country, and is published weekly.
Jeff Febus
Sports Information Director
Calvin College
(616) 526-6169 Office
(616) 526-8551 Fax
Received on Tue Feb 24 22:14:22 2004
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