FEB. 28, 2004 (Report #3)
MEN'S BASKETBALL
HOLLAND, MI - A case of "Saturday Night Fever" has allowed the Knights of
Calvin College to put on their dancing shoes for the NCAA III Tournament.
Calvin advanced to the NCAA III Tournament for the first time since the
2000-2001 season including the 14th time in school history with a 93-67 victory
over Adrian in the MIAA Tournament Championship game Saturday evening at the
Holland Civic Center.
The MIAA Tournament title is Calvin's fifth, matching Hope for the most league
tournament crowns. Calvin's total of 93 points was also the third-highest
scoring total in an MIAA Tournament final, surpassed only by the 95 points
scored by Calvin in the 2000 tournament final and the 97 scored by the Knights
in the inaugural 1992 tournament final.
Saturday's game marked just the second time that a third (Calvin) and fourth
(Adrian) seed had met in the MIAA Tournament final and also marked just the
second time that a team has won an MIAA Tournament title on a neutral floor as
Defiance accomplished the feat in 1999. Calvin also becomes the first No. 3
seed to win the MIAA Tournament as Defiance was seeded fourth in 1999.
Calvin is now 5-4 in MIAA Tournament Championship finals and 4-0 against
Adrian in MIAA Tournament play overall.
On Friday night, Adrian used torried three-point shooting (11 of 21) to upend
top-seeded Hope 86-82 but in Saturday's championship tilt, a furious Calvin
defensive effort limited the Bulldogs (16-13) to just six three-pointers on 26
attempts (.231).
Meanwhile, Calvin received offensive support from a variety of sources as four
players notched double-digits in scoring with senior Chris Prins leading the
way with 17 points, allowing him to move past 1961 Calvin graduate Duane
Rosendahl and into ninth place on the all-time Calvin scoring list. Juniors
Dan Aultman and Ricky Shilts were next with 13 points apiece with sophomore
Kyle Trewhella notching 12 points off the bench. Senior Kevin Broene added
nine points and five rebounds with senior center Ryan Smalligan making his
presence felt with a game-high nine rebounds while also ripping down a
two-handed slam in the second half. Freshman forward Josh Meckes also had a
break-out evening as he brought the Calvin faithful to its feet with a pair of
high-flying dunks and three blocked shots.
Collectively, Calvin's bench provided 38 points on the evening as nine players
received 10 minutes or more of playing time.
Calvin also shot 53.4 percent overall (31 of 58) and 43.5 percent (10 of 23)
from beyond the arc.
"This group was determined to make a run for the (tournament) championship and
they accomplished that goal," said Calvin men's basketball coach Kevin Vande
Streek. "It's a very satisfying feeling, particularly for our seniors. Our
team chemistry is very good right now and we really gelled during the
tournament. We've love to keep it going next week."
Calvin jumped out to a 14-2 run in the opening moments of the game Saturday
night and continued on to take a 42-27 halftime lead. Adrian would never
seriously threaten from that point on.
Seniors Brian Schaefer and Adam Novak led the Bulldogs with 12 points apiece
while sophomore Billy Collins had 11.
Calvin held a 42-30 rebounding edge with both teams connecting on 21 of 27
(.778) attempts from the free throw line.
Calvin will now await the announcement of the NCAA III Tournament field
Saturday evening, scheduled for 10:30 p.m. (EST). The Knights will likely face
a first round NCAA III Tournament game on the road next Thursday (March 4). In
13 prior trips to the NCAA III Tournament, Calvin has posted a won-loss record
of 23-14 including trips to the NCAA III Final Four in 1990, 1992 and 2000
along with national titles in 1992 and 2000.
Jeff Febus
Sports Information Director
Calvin College
(616) 526-6169 Office
(616) 526-8551 Fax
Received on Sat Feb 28 23:33:36 2004
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