CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR DECEMBER 8, 2004
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
(Written by Abby Zylstra '08)
Calvin picked up its first conference win of the year, defeating visiting Alma, 68-45, Wednesday night at the Calvin Fieldhouse.
Although Alma took the tip-off and first two points, the Knights quickly
bounced back. They scored 19 consecutive points to pull ahead 19-2.
The Knights dominated both defensively and offensively, holding the
Scots to 14 points in the first half and scoring 34 themselves.
The second half turned into a bigger battle. The Knights scored seven
straight points to start out the second half to pull ahead by 27
points, 41-14. The Scots countered back with seven consecutive points
of their own, making the score 46-28. In the second half, the Knights
only outscored the Scots by a mere three points. But the Knights held
their significant first-half lead winning by a margin of 23, for a
score of 68-45.
"The first half was key defensively," said Calvin women's basketball coach John Ross. " I thought that our first half was the best half we have played all year. And give Alma some credit. They did a nice job with their offense in the second half."
Senior center Lisa Nanninga (Grand Rapids Christian HS) led the Knights with a game-high 14
points and game-high eight rebounds. Sophomore Lisa Winkle (South Christian HS) put up 12 points and brought down three rebounds. Senior Kristen McDonald (West Catholic HS) led the team with six assists and three steals along with eight points. Freshman Wendy Zigterman (Western Springs, IL) also had three steals and one blocked shot for the
Knights.
Junior Katey Peacock led the Scots with 11 points, five steals, and four
assists. Freshman Ashley Matuzak and freshman Abigail Way both
contributed seven points, Way also had one block. Freshman Erica
Philip led the Scots with five rebounds, one block, and put up six
points.
"The last three games we've really stepped up a lot defensively," said
Ross of his team which currently owns a three-game win streak.
The Knights return to action Friday, December 10 at Adrian at 7:30 p.m. Friday's game will be broadcast via RealAudio through the Calvin web site at: www.Calvin.edu/sports wtih Josh Miller calling the play-by-play.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
PALOS HEIGHTS, IL * Calvin will roll into Christmas break with a 6-3 record and a two-game win streak after an 88-59 victory at Trinity Christian College Wednesday night.
A year ago, the two non-conference rivals battled through a nip-and-tuck game at the Calvin Fieldhouse that saw Calvin prevail by an 85-81 score.
Wednesday's game would prove to be a different story as Calvin put the clamps on Trinity Christian with a suffocating defensive effort while also controlling the glass. Calvin (6-3) raced out to a 46-22 halftime lead as it forced the host Trolls (4-7) into 16 turnovers and held them to just 30 percent field goal shooting.
Meanwhile, Calvin shot 50 percent in the first half including 54 percent (6 of 11) from three-point range.
Calvin would stretch its lead to as much as 35 points in the second half in cruising to the lopsided victory.
Calvin was led in the victory by junior Andy Draayer (Denver, CO) who popped in 20 points off the bench which included six of seven shooting from three-point range.
Over his last six games, Draayer has connected on 28 of 42 attempts from beyond the arc for a red-hot 66.7 percent clip. On the year, Draayer is shooting 55.7 percent (34 of 61) from three-point range.
"Right now Andy is in a shooting zone," said Calvin men's basketball coach Kevin Vande Streek. "We're trying to get him as many shots as possible and whenever we have the ball, our guys are looking to get the ball to him."
Draayer was one of four Calvin players to reach double-digits in scoring as senior point guard Ricky Shilts (Kalamazoo Central HS) picked up 15 points and four steals while connecting on four three-point field goals. Senior Dan Aultman (Mason County Central HS) was next with 12 points while sophomore Josh Meckes (Saginaw Valley Lutheran HS) had 10 points, eight rebounds and three steals.
As a team, Calvin finished with a 42-26 rebounding edge including 17-4 on the offensive glass.
"We have a three-week layoff after tonight's game so our goal was to make this a statement game with the kind of effort we gave out on the floor," said Vande Streek. "I thought our defensive intensity was terrific and our rebounding was probably the best we have had all year."
Coached by former Calvin assistant coach Tim Walker, Trinity Christian was led by junior Lawrence Weller who scored 12 points with juniors Nick Rykse and Steve VanderPloeg adding 10 points apiece with VanderPloeg also dishing out five assists.
Calvin finished the game with a 48.5 percent shooting percent overall and connected on 50 percent (12 of 24) from three-point territory. Trinity Christian shot 41 percent overall and 33.3 percent (5 of 15) from three-point range.
The Trolls also finished the game with 23 turnovers with Calvin scoring 31 of its points off turnovers.
Calvin returns to action on December 29 when it faces the Knights of Wartburg College at 7:00 p.m. (EST) in a first round game of the Cenex Harvest States Tournament hosted by the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. The tournament will also include St. Thomas of Minnesota.
Jeff Febus
Sports Information Director
Calvin College
(616) 526-6169 Office
(616) 526-8551 Fax
Received on Wed Dec 8 23:10:17 2004
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