CKSR (Calvin Knight Sports Report for January 4, 2012)

CALVIN KNIGHT SPORTS REPORT FOR JANUARY 4, 2012

Women's Basketball Defeats Kalamazoo;
Men's Basketball Defeated by Adrian
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Calvin 81, Kalamazoo 29
 
KALAMAZOO - Calvin rolled to an 81-29 victory at Kalamazoo Wednesday night,
setting up a showdown for first place in the MIAA standings with rival Hope on
Saturday. Hope defeated Olivet 66-52 Wednesday night. Calvin and Hope are both
5-0 in league play heading into Saturday's rivalry showdown set to begin at 1
p.m. at Calvin's Van Noord Arena.
 
Ranked fourth nationally, Calvin (12-0 overall), connected on 50 percent of
its field goals in the first half, en route to taking a 39-7 halftime lead.
Calvin connected on a season-high 11 three-point shots in the contest led by
senior Leah Mattson who was 3-of-4 from downtown for a nine-point outing. Six
different players for Calvin connected on triple tries. Junior Kelsey Irwin
added two more three-pointers to build her team-leading season total to 28.
Irwin now has 101 three-pointers in her Calvin career.
 
Junior Carissa Verkaik led Calvin in scoring with 21 points to go with seven
rebounds, two blocked shots and two steals.
 
Senior Courtney Kurncz and sophomore Shelby Sheehan added eight points apiece
while junior Julia Hilbrands had seven points and six rebounds in a reserve
role.
 
Calvin held a 44-30 rebounding advantage in the win and was credited with 22
assists as a team. Senior Jill Thomas and sophomore Kirstin Tripp led Calvin
with four assists apiece.
 
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Adrian 68, Calvin 61
(by sports information student assistant Andrew Knot)
 
On the road at Adrian, the Knights dropped their conference opener by a score
of 68-61 on Wednesday evening.
 
The Bulldogs, who under third-year Coach Mark White have established a
reputation as stout and gritty defensively, opened the game with a surprisingly
fast-paced offensive attack. Adrian jumped out to a 20-9 lead of three pointers
from Brad Whitby, Richaud Pack, and Cody Barnes to force a timeout from
Calvin’s Coach Kevin Vande Streek.
 
But, true to the game’s broader pattern, Calvin would respond with a small run
of its own. Bryan Powell contributed four points, all of them in transition,
and Tom Snikkers, who scored the Knights first five points, added a bucket to
cut the Bulldog lead to two.
 
But Calvin was unable to cut the lead closer before halftime. Any rebounding
prowess the Knights had established during their first half run was diminished
as Adrian mounted a 12-6 run to conclude the half.
 
Calvin entered the second half trailing by eight, but a 9-0 run quickly erased
that. Sophomore Jordan Mast initiated the scoring with a three-ball from the
left wing and Snikkers banked in a lay-up to give Calvin a one-point advantage
less than three minutes into the half.
 
Adrian responded by taking an 11-point lead, its largest of the game. From
there, Calvin wouldn’t get closer than five. With less than a minute to play,
Powell hit a deep three en route to a career high to bring the score to 66-61.
But Adrian would make free throws and hold on from there to seal a 68-61
victory.
 
The Knights were led in scoring by Powell’s 21. Snikkers added 15 and Mast
had 12. Snikkers and Kruis each led the Knights with 15.
 
Vande Streek credited Adrian’s speed and athleticism and faulted Calvin’s poor
shooting with the loss. The Knights shot 38% from the field and 17.6% from
beyond the arc.
 
The Knights host the Britons of Albion at 3 pm on Saturday.
Received on Wed Jan 4 23:25:20 2012