CSR (Women's Basketball Holds Off Albion/Men's Basketball Falls to Aquinas)

CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR DEC. 18, 2010
 
Women's Basketball Holds off Albion Behind 30-Point Effort From Verkaik;
Men's Basketball Falls to Aquinas 78-76
 
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Calvin 73, Albion 65

The Calvin women’s basketball team was pushed to the limit on Saturday by
conference rival Albion but the Knights were up to the challenge down the
stretch as they recorded a 73-65 victory over the Britons in a matchup of teams
with undefeated MIAA records at Van Noord Arena.

Sophomore Carissa Verkaik (Holland Christian HS) had a monster game with 30
points, 13 rebounds and nine blocked shots, just missing a triple-double.
Verkaik swished a three-pointer with 52 seconds left to play that helped seal
the win over Albion (4-6 overall, 2-1 MIAA) as it gave Calvin a six-point lead.

Albion came out out the gate with fire and led at halftime 32-28. The second
half featured back-and-forth action as the lead changed hands 13 times. Calvin
took the lead for good however on a bucket inside by sophomore Julia Hilbrands
(Grand Rapids Christian HS) with 7L51 left and moments later, Hilbrands
converted a fast-break layup to give Calvin a 62-59 lead.
Albion closed to within three at 68-65 on a layup by Kelsey Effner with 1:14
to go but Verkaik followed with a clutch triple from the top of the key with 52
seconds remaining to give the Knights breathing room.
Verkaik’s 30-point, 13-rebound performance marked the 16th collegiate
double-double of her career.
Calvin (8-2 overall, 4-0 MIAA) also received nine points from junior guard
Jill Thomas (West Catholic HS) and sophomore forward Ally Wolffis
(Muskegon-Mona Shores HS) while sophomore Logan Marsh (Byron Center HS) had
seven points and four assists. Thomas also had three assists, three blocked
shots and two steals. Junior Heather DeKleine (Unity Christian HS) added a
game-high five assists. Albion was led in scoring by Effner who had 13 points.
As a team, Calvin shot 44.4 percent from the field including 53.8 percent in
the second half. Albion shot 42.6 percent overall and 50 percent in the second
half. Albion was 10 of 14 at the line while Calvin was 17 of 21 at the charity
stripe.
Calvin has now won five straight games and will face Wellesley College on
December 30 in a tournament hosted by California Lutheran University.
MIAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL STANDINGS THROUGH 12-18-10

Calvin 4-0
Hope 2-0
Albion 2-1
Saint Mary's 2-1
Trine 2-1
Olivet 2-2
Alma 0-3
Adrian 0-3
Kalamazoo 0-3
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Aquinas 78, Calvin 76
The Calvin men’s basketball team fell just short of a season sweep over
crosstown rival Aquinas, falling to the Saints 78-76 Saturday afternoon at Van
Noord Arena. Earlier this season, Calvin defeated Aquinas 61-44 but on
Saturday, the Saints (7-8) turned the tables by connecting on 10 three-point
shots.
Calvin had a chance to win at the buzzer but an off-balance three-pointer by
sophomore Tom Snikkers(Unity Christian HS) bounced off the rim after Snikkers
pushed the ball up the court with only 4.2 seconds left to do so.
Aquinas used a three-pointer at the first half buzzer to take a 30-29 halftime
lead. The lead then changed hands 10 times in the second half with Aquinas
taking the lead for good at 64-62 on a three-pointer by A.J. Schmidt with 4:14
remaining. A triple by Tim Jensen put Aquinas up 72-67 with 1:16 remaining but
the Knights refused to fold, clawing to within a point at 73-72 on a layin by
sophomore Snikkers with 39 seconds remaining. Calvin closed to within a point
again at 77-76 on a triple by sophomore Bryan Powell (Wyoming Park HS) with
seven seconds remaining. Aquinas then went up two on a free by Damacious White
with 4.2 seconds remaining, setting up the last frantic foray up the floor by
Snikkers.
Sophomore Matt DeBoer (Covenant Christian HS) scored a career-high 17 points
off the bench for the Knights while Snikkers had 15 points and seven boards.
Senior Brad Schnyders (Unity Christian HS) also had 14 points off the bench
while Powell had 12 points and five assists.
Aquinas shot 42.9 percent overall from the field while Calvin connected on
41.9 percent of its field goal attempts. The Saints were 14 of 21 at the free
throw line was Calvin was 18 of 25.
Calvin (4-5) will face Benedictine (IL) on December 29 at 6:30 p.m. (EST) in a
first round game of the Elmhurst Bluejay Classic.
 
Received on Sat Dec 18 22:22:37 2010