CKSR (Women's Basketball Edged at Olivet/Swimming and Diving Daily Journal Report From Puerto Rico)

CALVIN KNIGHT SPORTS REPORT FOR JANUARY 4, 2014

Women's Basketball Edged at Olivet;
Swimming and Diving Daily Journal Report from Puerto Rico

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Olivet 77, Calvin 73
By Mark DeHaan

The Calvin women's basketball team returned to conference play on Saturday afternoon, traveling to Olivet to take on the Comets at the Cutler Event Center. Olivet captured Saturday's MIAA contest by a final score of 77-73, holding off a furious second-half comeback effort by the Knights.

Calvin came in off four non-conference games during Christmas break, with the Knights splitting games at two tournaments at Davenport and in Illinois, while the Comets were coming off a pair of non-conference victories at the Albion Holiday Tournament a week ago. Both teams entered with 2-1 MIAA records.

The Comets jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the opening minutes, forcing a timeout from Calvin head coach John Ross.

Senior Kirsten Tripp (Brighton/Brighton HS) responded with five points for the Knights, but Olivet then went on an 8-0 run to take a 14-5 lead.

Despite turning the ball over to Calvin's press on a number of occasions, the Comets continued to expand their lead in the first half as they shot 59.3% from the field.

By halftime, Olivet led 41-26. Tripp shot 5-for-7 for the Knights in the first half for 12 points, while the rest of the team had 14 points on 5-of-27 shooting.

Out of the break, Calvin began second half play with a 9-1 run to cut Olivet's lead to 42-35. The Knights continued to outplay the Comets, and with 13:55 remaining in regulation, brought the deficit to just three at 49-46.

Olivet then went on an 11-2 run to take a 12-point lead, but the Knights again fought back.

Calvin trailed 63-55 with 6:46 remaining, but eight points by junior Kayla Engelhard (Unionville/Saginaw Valley HS) and a layup by junior Hannah Acre (DeWitt/DeWitt HS) brought the score to 66-65 with just over four minutes to play, the closest the Knights had been since the opening whistle.

With under ten seconds remaining, Calvin had a chance to tie the game down three points, but turned the ball over and Olivet iced the game at the free throw line to win 77-73 and defeat the Knights for the first time since 2001.

Calvin shot 40.3% for the game while the Comets shot 52.9%. The Knights did force Olivet into 20 turnovers while committing only 12 of their own, but were out-rebounded 40-32.

Tripp scored 19 to lead the Knights while Breanna Verkaik (Holland/Holland Christian HS) scored 14 and Engelhard 12.

For the Comets, Carli Reid scored a game high 20 points while Chelsea Ciba scored 14 and Heather Lauwers and Stefanie Lang each scored 13.

"I was disappointed with our effort and lack of preparation going into the game," said Ross. "We got things figured out in the second half and our focus was much better. Hopefully our second half play acts as a springboard into the rest of the season."

The loss drops the Knights to 2-2 in conference play and 7-5 overall, while Olivet improves to 10-2 overall and 3-1 in the MIAA.

Calvin returns to action on Wednesday when it travels to the east side of the state for a non-conference matchup against the Rochester College Warriors.

MIAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL STANDINGS THROUGH 1-4-14 GAMES

Hope 4-0
Kalamazoo 3-0
Olivet 3-1
Saint Mary's 2-1
Calvin 2-2
Adrian 2-2
Albion 0-3
Trine 0-3
Alma 0-4

MEN'S AND WOMEN'S SWIMMING AND DIVING

(Editor's Note: The Calvin men's and women's swimming and diving teams are currently training in Puerto Rico this week. The following journal entry is by Calvin freshman Brett Stoughton of Centerville, Indiana. More journal entries will continue throughout the weekend by members of both teams)

By Brett Stoughton (Day Three Calvin Swimming and Diving Journal Entry - filed January 3, 2014)

La vida puertorriqueña...

Today marked the third full day of training trip 2014 for Calvin Swimming and Diving! Jumping into the pool after breakfast for a morning workout, the swimmers focused on technique with pull and drill sets along with a kick set to maintain aerobic conditioning. The divers worked on approaches and other fundamentals to set up for "big" dives tomorrow. With only one practice in the morning, the team had more time today to experience the natural beauty and lively culture of Puerto Rico.

With another day of warmth and sunshine as an escape from the wintery mess and frigid cold back home in the States, more time spent at the beach was a must! Many caught the biggest waves of the trip thus far with body and board surfing. Others caught rays of sun while relaxing after the morning workout.

The afternoon activity included a trip to the north side of the island to Fajardo to visit the famous Pyrodinium bahamense bacteria of Bio Bay. These creatures emit a blue glow when the water around them is stirred. To get to Laguna Grande, where these rare bacteria live, the team kayaked from the harbor to a lengthy, narrow channel of water. Under the cover of night and covered by a canopy of tree limbs, the team had to navigate through the dark rainforest, with a few water fights and kayak and tree crashing along the way. Once into the bay, everyone saw the fascinating sparkle of the glowing bacteria in the water. Some even caught jellyfish while exploring the lagoon.

Broken up into guys and girls for the excursion into the Bio Bay, while one group kayaked, the other experienced the local restaurants and souvenir shops of the surrounding area. A favorite was a food stand selling beef kabobs. When asked to have the "regular" or "picante" (spicy) version, some bravely chose to experience the true flavor of Puerto Rican food. To soothe the burning spice of the picante version, a few had fresh coconuts from a street vendor. Using a machete to cut the coconut in front of us was quite the show.

Having the afternoon off from the San Juan Natatorium, the team awaits another two-a-day tomorrow to finish this week on a high note.
Received on Sat Jan 4 21:44:57 2014