CSR (Knights Drop Thriller to Cornerstone in Select Bank Hall of Fame Classic Final)

CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR NOV. 27, 2004

MEN'S BASKETBALL

Calvin and East Beltline rival Cornerstone have now met three times in the
championship final of the Select Bank Hall of Fame Classic and in all three
games, the final outcome has gone right down to the wire.

In a thriller before nearly 2,700 fans at the Van Andel Arena in downtown
Grand Rapids, Cornerstone edged Calvin 88-87, using a free throw from 6-9
sophomore center John Jonker with 2.5 seconds remaining to gain the win.

The tournament title is Cornerstone's second in the nine-year history of the
Select Bank Classic with both tournament crowns coming with victories over
Calvin. Calvin edged Cornerstone 85-81 in the 2000 tournament final with
Cornerstone nipping Calvin 90-84 in the 2001 championship game.

Calvin also won the tournament in 1999.

Calvin (3-2) held control through the opening 12 minutes, building an 11-point
lead at 33-22 after a pair of free throws from junior forward Joel Hoekstra.
Ranked 17th in the latest NAIA Division II poll, Cornerstone roared back behind
five three-point field goals in a two-and-a-half minute span to cut the gap to
one at 38-37 and then took a 39-38 lead on a jumper in the lane by senior point
guard Jim Cochrane with 3:40 remaining.

Calvin would regain the lead with a quick 5-0 spurt fueled by a three-point
play from junior forward Brian Roelofs and held on for a 48-46 halftime edge.

Calvin was able to go up by seven at 62-55 on a jumper by freshman point guard
Brandon Gerth with 12:57 left but Cornerstone would regain the lead with a 14-6
run that included seven points from junior forward Brandon Voorhees. The lead
would then change hands 12 times over the final 6:31 of regulation.

A three-pointer by Calvin junior Andy Draayer gave Calvin an 83-82 lead with
2:40 remaining but Cornerstone (9-1) answered with a fast-break layup 40
seconds later to go up by a point. A pair of free throws by Calvin senior
point guard Ricky Shilts put the Knights up 85-84 with 1:44 left on the clock
but Cornerstone answered with a free throw by junior Andy Bronkema and a jumper
in traffic by Voorhees to take an 87-85 lead with 36 seconds left on the
clock.

Calvin would tie the game on a jumper in the lane by senior Dan Aultman with
22 seconds remaining, setting up a frantic finish.

After a timeout, Cornerstone was able to spread the floor and then get the
ball into the hands of Jonker inside on a feed from point guard Josh Liggins.
Jonker went up for the game-winning score but was fouled on the play. Jonker
missed his first attempt but drained his second to put the Golden Eagles up by
one.

A length of the court pass was then deflected into the hands of Calvin junior
Kyle Trewhella who was able to put up an off-balance 25-footer that bounced off
the heel of the rim, allowing Cornerstone to escape with the one-point win.

Voorhees led all scorers with 29 points, en route to earning tournament MVP
honors as he was 11 of 18 from the field including 5 of 9 from three-point
range along with seven rebounds and three blocked shots.

Jonker added 12 points and seven rebounds while Bronkema collected 10 points,
eight boards and four assists. Jonker and Bronkema were both named to the
all-tournament team.

Aultman led Calvin with 21 points and seven rebounds and was voted to the
all-tournament team for the second straight year. Draayer pumped in 17 points
off the bench including five three-point field goals as he was also voted to
the all tournament team.

Roelofs was also strong off the bench as he matched a career scoring high with
14 points with Hoekstra chipping in with 10 points and Meckes delivering a
game-high nine rebounds. Shilts added nine points and six assists.

Calvin connected on 30 of 71 field goal attempts for a 42.3 percent clip but
Cornerstone was able to hit 29 of 62 (.468) including 12 of 26 (.462) from
three-point range. Both teams connected on 18 free throw attempts with the
Knight shooting 81.8 percent from the line and Cornerstone 75 percent from the
stripe. Calvin also held a slim 37-36 rebounding edge and committed just nine
turnovers

In the consolation game, Hope defeated Aquinas 67-52. Hope was led by
sophomore guard Stephen Cramer who picked up 15 points and also landed a spot
on the all tournament team.

Calvin returns to action on Tuesday night when it travels to Aquinas College
for a 7:30 p.m. contest.

Jeff Febus
Sports Information Director
Calvin College
(616) 526-6169 Office
(616) 526-8551 Fax
Received on Sun Nov 28 00:06:21 2004