CSR (Men's Basketball Upsets Hope in MIAA Tournament Final - Receives Bid to NCAAs)

CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR FEB. 24 2007 (PART TWO)

Men's Basketball Upsets Hope To Win MIAA Tournament - Receives Bid To NCAAs

MEN'S BASKETBALL
Calvin 78, Hope 76
(Written by Bruce VanBaren '09)

HOLLAND- Derek Griffin picked up right where he left off from Friday*s MIAA
Tournament Semifinal game in which he scored 21 second half points- in a
groove. In tonight*s MIAA Championship game, Griffin hit 8 of 10 from the
field including the game-winning shot with just 4.3 seconds remaining to lead
Calvin past rival Hope 78-76 and into the NCAA III tournament for the fourth
consecutive year.

The MIAA Tournament Championship is Calvin*s 8th, the most of any team in
the MIAA. The win was also Calvin*s first over Hope in the MIAA Tournament
finals as the Flying Dutchmen had won the previous three meetings in the
league*s title tilt.

In addition, Saturday*s game featured the 165th meeting between the two
teams. Calvin now holds the lead in all-time series 83-82.

With 24 seconds remaining and the game tied, Griffin received the inbound
pass, dribble off some time on the clock and then drove past a defender hitting
a floater in the lane to give Calvin a 78-76 lead with 4.3 seconds remaining.

*To make that shot here in this building, it*s an unbelievable feeling,*
Griffin said. *I had tried a cross over on Stephen Cramer and he had picked
my pocket. Marcus Vanderheide (who was guarding him) is a smart defender and I
knew a crossover wouldn*t work. So I went with a fake crossover; I just
wanted to create a little space and take it strong to the hoop.*

It wasn*t the only clutch shot Griffin hit. With 1:37 remaining and Calvin
trailing 74-73, Griffin drained a three pointer, his third of the night.
*You want to talk clutch baskets,* Vande Streek said. *We designed a
play to get him that three point shot and he hit it, That*s huge. And then
to hit that shot at the end. It doesn*t get any more clutch than that.*

*I thought we defended Griffin*s drive pretty well. We couldn*t have
done much more on that play,* Hope Coach Glen Van Weiren said. *I*ll
give Derek credit for that; he had a good look.*

Griffin*s shot left 4.3 seconds on the clock giving Hope a shot at the win,
but Hope missed a long three pointer at the buzzer.

Cramer was equally as impressive as Griffin, putting up 28 points in a losing
effort, his career high. Cramer hit 11 of 21 from the floor and 4 of 8 from
three point range. His two free throws with 1:11 left tied the game at 76
before Griffin*s heroic shot sealed the Knights* 18th win of the season.

Calvin is now 6-2 all-time in games played at the DeVos Fieldhouse.

 *In playing the CCIW/MIAA challenge and NCAA tournament here, if you told
me we*d be 6-2 in this building, I*d have told you you*re crazy,* Coach
Kevin Vande Sreek.

The Knights lead by as many as 9 in the second half, with 16:32 and 12:28
remaining, but the Dutchmen clawed all the way back to make it another classic
Hope-Calvin rivalry.

*I was really, really proud of our guys and how they battled,* Van Wieren
said. *We said [when we were trailing] this was going to be a positive game
for us; we were going to forget what happens. We said we were going to climb
back and get the lead, rebound and defend to keep the lead. We hung tough and
came back; we got the lead- they just hit a great shot.*

Griffin led all scorers with his 24 points, which was still shy of his career
high 26 points. Over the past two games, Griffin scored 45 points. Sophomore
Caleb Veldhouse was next with 16 points while freshman Matt Veltema also hit
double figures with 12 points. Senior center Josh Meckes led the Knights on
the boards with 8 rebounds as Calvin out-rebounded Hope 40-34.

Calvin shot 46.7% from the field and 39% (9-23) from three point range. Hope
shot 43.5% from the field and 32% (8 of 25) from three point range. Calvin
turned the ball over 17 times while Hope had 13 turnovers.

Calvin out shot and out muscled Hope in the first half hitting 15 of 33
(45.5%) from the field and grabbing 22 rebounds, 10 offensive, to Hope*s 17
total rebounds. Veltema (Calvin Christian) led Calvin on a 10- 4 run to open
the game hitting two three pointers. Calvin as a team started 3 of 3 from the
arc as Veldhouse (Sioux Falls Christian) hit a three pointer to put the Knights
up 15-7.

*We started the game too excited to play well,* Van Wieren said.

Hope started a 2 for 4 from beyond the arc, but three straight Calvin
turnovers allowed the Flying Dutchmen to go on a 7-0 run. Veldhouse made good
on a rare four point play, hitting a three and the foul shot, to erase the Hope
run.

A Tyler Zoerhof (Holland Christian) offensive rebound put Zoerhof at the free
throw line, 1 of 10 offensive boards for the Knights in the first half. After
missing the second, Kyle Snoeyink (Calvin Christian) grabbed the rebound and
later scored to put the Knights up eleven.

Cramer hit a three to cut the lead to eight before Griffin engineered a 5-0
run hitting a deep three to put the Knights up 37-24 with 5:32 remaining in the
half. Tyler Wolfe led Hope on a 10-2 run to end the half with the Knights
leading 42-36.

In the second half, the teams traded three pointers in a very exciting stretch
from the 11 minute mark to the 9 minute mark. Vanderheide hit, Cramer hit,
Veltema hit, and finally Klein hit to cut the Knight lead to four with 9:19
remaining in the game.

Cramer cut the lead to 72-69 with 2:44 remaining and then tied the game after
Hope trailed by as many as 9 with a three pointer, his fourth of the game. The
teams traded leads until the game was tied at 76 with 1:11 remaining.

Tonight was also just the third time that Calvin and Hope had met four times
in a season in men*s basketball. It also happened in the 1980-81 season as
well as the 2005-06 season.

Calvin will be making its 17th appearance in the NCAA III Tournament including
its sixth under current head coach Kevin Vande Streek. The Knights are 29-16
all-time in NCAA III Tournament play.

Jeff Febus
Sports Information Director
Calvin College
(616) 526-6169 Office
(616) 526-8551 Fax
Received on Sat Feb 24 23:12:39 2007