CKSR (Women's Basketball Wins Overtime Thriller at Olivet / Men's Basketball Edged at Albion / Swimming and Diving Teams Split at Hope)

CALVIN KNIGHT SPORTS REPORT FOR JAN. 9, 2016

Women's Basketball Wins Overtime Thriller at Olivet;
Men's Basketball Edged at Albion;
Swimming and Diving Teams Split at Hope

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Calvin 79, Olivet 77 (OT)

OLIVET, Mich. - A pair of free throws with six-tenths of a second remaining in overtime by sophomore Bre Luurtsema (Holland, Mich./Holland Christian HS) lifted the nationally-ranked Calvin women's basketball team to a 79-77 overtime victory at Olivet Saturday afternoon.

Calvin (10-3 overall, 5-0 MIAA) struggled at the free throw line on Saturday but came up with a pair of charity tosses when it needed them most as Luurtsema was fouled at mid-court on a rush up the floor and calmly swished two free throws to win the game.

Calvin was just 16 of 32 at the free throw line on Saturday and had to come from behind to gain the win as the Knights trailed 12-3 in the first quarter and later trailed 58-47 with 8:06 left in the fourth quarter before mounting a furious comeback bid.

Calvin used a 12-2 scoring run to close to within 60-59 with 2:23 left in regulation. Olivet took a 63-59 lead moments later but driving layups by seniors Abby Springer (Vernon Hills, IL/Vernon Hills HS) and Kally Verkaik (Holland, Mich./Holland Christian HS) tied the game with under a minute to play.

The Knights had a pair of free throws to take the lead with 16 seconds left but missed both. After a timeout, Olivet pushed the ball up the floor but missed a shot near the basket in the closing seconds, sending the contest into overtime.

The two teams traded scoring bursts in overtime as Calvin took a 67-63 lead with Olivet answering back with four quick points to tie the score. A three-point play by Verkaik put the Knights up 70-67 but Olivet's Dallas Austin connected on a triple to tie the score at 70. Verkaik connected on a pair of free throws with 1:48 remaining and then nailed a triple to put Calvin up 75-70 with just over a minute remaining.

Calvin allowed Olivet to climb back into the game however by connecting on just 2 of 6 attempts from the free throw line while the Comets came up with a free throw and three layups including bucket by Bre Kid that tied the score 77-77 with five seconds remaining.

Calvin quickly pushed the ball up the floor and Luurtsema was bumped at mid-court with just six-tenths of a second remaining. Luurtsema calmly stepped up and connected on both free throw tries to give the Knights a 79-77 lead. Olivet was unable to get off a subsequent shot before the final horn sounded.

"Our games at Olivet over the past few years have been real barn-burners and today was no different," said Calvin women's basketball coach John Ross. "Olivet played a great game but I give our team credit for fighting back from a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter. We refused to quit and that was huge."

Luurtsema's final free throw tosses were no different said Ross. "Luurtsema picked up the rest of the team with those free throws," said Ross. "They were clutch shots with the pressure on the line."

With the win, Calvin improved to 10-3 overall and 5-0 in the MIAA. The Knights are now tied for first place with rival Hope in the MIAA standings.

Olivet dips to 7-7 overall and 3-2 in the MIAA.

Verkaik scored a career-high 21 points in the win to go with four rebounds. Luurtsema scored 11 points and grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds, notching her second double-double of her career in the process. Junior Anna Timmer (Caledonia, Mich./South Christian HS) had 19 points and six rebounds while Springer and sophomore Ali Spayde (Lewis Center, Oh./Worthington Christian HS) had 11 points apiece.

Katie McKinnon led Olivet with 26 points while Kidd had 14 points and Shauni Hankins 11 points.

Calvin returns to action next Wednesday when it hosts Adrian at 7:30 p.m.

MIAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL STANDINGS THROUGH 1-9-16 GAMES

Calvin 5-0
Hope 5-0
Adrian 4-1
Olivet 3-2
Trine 3-3
Kalamazoo 2-4
Albion 1-4
Saint Mary's 1-5
Alma 0-5

MEN'S BASKETBALL
Albion 65, Calvin 60

ALBION, Mich. - A scoreless streak of nearly four minutes proved to be Calvin's undoing Saturday afternoon as the Knights dropped a 65-60 decision at Albion.

Calvin (6-7 overall, 1-1 MIAA) scored a jumper by sophomore Michael Wilks (Hudsonville, Mich./Unity Christian HS) but 4:48 remaining to give the Knights a 58-55 lead. Calvin went without a field goal the rest of the game however and managed just two free throws the rest in the way in dropping its first game at Kresge Gymnasium since 2008.

Albion (6-7 overall, 1-1 MIAA) connected on 14 of 30 (.467) from three-point range including a triple from straight on that banked in at the first half buzzer by Jason Zahran that gave the Britons a 30-29 halftime advantage.

Calvin went on a scoring spree early in the second half, building a 45-35 lead with 15:13 remaining.

The Knights maintained a 54-45 lead with just over 10 minutes remaining but scored just six points the rest of the way as Albion gradually began to chip into the Calvin lead.

Albion took a 61-58 lead on a three-pointer by Dakotah Kazen with 3:32 remaining. Calvin crept back within a point at 61-60 on a pair of free throws by senior Jordan Daley (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian HS) with 1:06 left and then had a chance to take the lead after getting a defensive stop with 39 seconds left on the clock.

Calvin turned the ball over with 21 seconds left however and Albion proceeded to connect on four free throws in the final seconds to seal the win.

"We knew today would be a very physical game and it was," said Calvin men's basketball coach Kevin Vande Streek. "I thought we played very hard and were up to the physical challenge. The difference today is that we did not make plays in the final four minutes of the game and Albion did. We will go back to work on Monday and get ready for our next game."

Calvin was led in defeat by Wilks who tallied 12 points while Daley had 11. Senior Austin Parks (Niles, Mich./Niles HS) and junior Cam Denney (Bluffton, Ind./Norwell HS) added 10 points apiece.

Kazen led all scorers with 17 points including five three-point field goals. Jaylen Fordham added 13 for the Britons.

Calvin is back in action on Wednesday when it travels to Olivet for an 8 p.m. contest.

MIAA MEN'S BASKETBALL STANDINGS THROUGH 1-9-16 GAMES

Alma 2-0
Hope 2-0
Adrian 1-1
Albion 1-1
Calvin 1-1
Trine 1-1
Kalamazoo 0-2
Olivet 0-2

MEN'S SWIMMING AND DIVING

HOLLAND, Mich. -- The No. 10 men's swimming and diving team sank archrival Hope on Saturday, 190-98. The win improves the Knights to 6-2 on the year and 4-0 against MIAA competition.
"We were solid today, still a little rusty," said head coach Dan Gelderloos. "It is always good to end the day with a win."
The Knights struck first on Saturday notching a victory in the 200 medley relay. The team of sophomore Skyler Fish (Ionia, Mich./Ionia), junior Eli Holstege (Keswick, Va./Covenant), junior Brett Stoughton (Centerville, Ind./Centerville) and freshman Jared Britton (Falls Church, Va./George Mason) won with a time of 1:36.65.
Sophomore Tanner Vincent (Novi, Mich./Novi) recorded a season-best time in the 1000 freestyle. Vincent finished in first place with a time of 10:14.81.
The Knights recorded the three fastest times in the 200 freestyle on Saturday. Winning the event was senior Brandon Muma (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) with a time of 1:45.61. Freshman Andrew Kasper (Batava, Ill./Marmion Academy) finished in second place at 1:45.93 and senior Mitch Schroder (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) in third place at 1:47.16.
Skyler Fish was victorious in the 100 backstroke with a winning time of 53.54. Fish also won the 200 backstroke, clocking in at 1:59.92.
In the 100 breaststroke, Calvin finished with the top-three times. Taking first was senior Johnson Cochran (Mount Vernon, Ohio/Mount Vernon) at 59.33, in second place was freshman Jacob Lensing (Pella, Iowa/Pella Christian) at 1:03.45 and in third place was junior Marshall Campbell (Gladstone, Mo./home school) at 1:03.49.
Calvin took the top-three times in the 200 butterfly on Saturday afternoon, Brett Stoughton was the winner with a time of1:58.40. Freshman Nathan Olberding (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville) finished in second place with a time of 2:02.36 and sophomore Steven Tarske (Pinckney, Mich./Pinckney) finished in third place at 2:09.50.
The 50 freestyle saw Calvin once again take the top three times of the day. Eli Holstege recorded a first-place time of 22.03, Jared Britton finished in second place at 22.27 and Mitch Schroder in third place at 22.30.
Johnson Cochran touched the wall first in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:11.06. Cochran also won the 200 IM with a winning time of 2:01.26.
The Knights swept the top-three times in the 100 freestyle, Brandon Muma winning the race at 48.06, Andrew Kasper following behind in second place at 48.59 and sophomore Max DeYoung (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Eastern) in third place at 49.46.
Andrew Kasper continued the Calvin win streak in the 500 freestyle, recording a first-place time of 4:49.31.
The Knights finished the day winning the 400 free relay. The team of Mitch Schroder, Jared Britton, Max DeYoung and Andrew Kasper finished with a winning time of 47.01.
Calvin returns back to action on Saturday, Jan. 16 as the Knights travel to Albion.

WOMEN'S SWIMMING AND DIVING

HOLLAND, Mich. - The women's swimming and diving team fell at Hope College on Saturday, 167-133. The loss moves Calvin to 6-3 on the year. The Knights won five events on the day.
"The Hope women swam very well," said head coach Dan Gelderloos. "We couldn't keep up with their swimming or enthusiasm today."
Sophomore Abby VanHarn notched the first Calvin victory of the day on the women's side in the 200 freestyle. VanHarn finished with a time of 1:55.95. VanHarn picked up her second victory on the day in the 50 freestyle, winning with a time of 25.01. She picked up her third victory of the day in the 100 freestyle, clocking in at 53.23.
In the 200 backstroke, freshman Jessica Skipper (Chicago, Ill./North College Prep) recorded a first-place time of 2:12.53, her fastest time at Calvin.
Freshman Anna Serino (Pinckney, Mich./Pinckney) was victorious in the 500 freestyle with a winning time of 5:16.67.s
Calvin returns back to action on Saturday, Jan. 16 as the Knights travel to Albion.
Received on Sat Jan 9 18:47:43 2016