CKSR (Basketball Teams Split Against Alma / Swimming and Diving Teams Sweep Dual Meets at Albion)

CALVIN KNIGHT SPORTS REPORT FOR JAN. 16, 2016

Basketball Teams Split Against Alma;
Swimming and Diving Teams Sweep Dual Meets at Albion

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Calvin 67, Alma 49

By Gina de Haan
ALMA, Mich. - On Saturday afternoon, the Calvin women's basketball team traveled to Alma College to compete in its seventh conference matchup of the season.
The Knights entered the contest looking to maintain their undefeated conference record (11-3 overall, 6-0 MIAA), while the Scots (4-9, 0-6 MIAA) were hoping to earn their first MIAA win.
"I am very happy with the win today," said head coach John Ross. "We were able to get a road win against a very determined and scrappy team."
A strong fourth quarter by the Knights earned Calvin its fourth consecutive win, the final score, 67-49.
Calvin struck first, off a three-point bucket from senior Abby Springer (Vernon Hills, Ill./Vernon Hills), but the lead changed hands a number of times during the remainder of the first quarter. A late three-point bucket by Alma's Chloe King gave the Scots a 16-14 advantage over the Knights. Sophomore Bre Luurtsema (Holland, Mich./Holland Christian) hit a free throw to cut the host team's lead to one and the scoreboard read 16-15 in Alma's favor heading into the second quarter.
The Knights chipped away at the Scots' lead in the second quarter. Alma scored a quick two points, but a free throw by senior Kally Verkaik (Holland, Mich./Holland Christian) and a layup from junior Anna Timmer (Caledonia, Mich./South Christian) tied the game at 18. Alma's Kassidi Adams scored a layup, but was quickly answered by a layup by Luurtsema and a steal and three point play by Springer. A steal by Luurtsema led to a bucket by junior Lauren Goldthorpe (St. Ignace, Mich./Lasalle), giving the Knights a 25-20 lead with 7:17 remaining in the first half.
With just under four minutes to play in the quarter, a triple by sophomore Ali Spayde (Lewis Center, Ohio/Worthington Christian) sparked a late first half run by the Knights. Timmer followed, sinking a jump shot to put the Knights up by nine. Alma's Adams hit one from behind the arc to bring the score to 33-27, but senior Tiffany Karger (Cedar Spring, Mich./Cedar Springs) responded, netting a three-pointer of her own. Karger's points would be the final of the half and the Knights headed into the locker room with a 36-27 lead.
In the first half, Calvin shot 31.7% (13-41) from the floor while Alma made 47.6% (10-21) of its field goals; the Knights made 6 of their 18 (33.3%) attempted three-point shots while the Scots were 4 for 6 (66.7%) from behind the arc.
However, the Knights outscored their opponents by 10 (21-11) in the second quarter and possessed a nine-point lead coming into the second half.
But the Scots wouldn't admit defeat just yet, scoring six consecutive points after an early bucket by Luurtsema to make the score 38-33. In the third quarter, Alma outscored its visitors 14-12, backed by a strong eight point offensive effort from Kelsey Wolffis who was 4-4 from the floor. The Knights still held on to a 48-41 lead heading into the final quarter of play.
Calvin squashed any Alma momentum in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Scots 19-8. Starting at the midpoint of the quarter, Anna Timmer secured a Calvin victory by scoring seven consecutive points to give her team a sizeable lead (64-44) with
just 3:45 left to play. Kally Verkaik then chipped in a three-pointer to give the Knights a 23 point lead, their largest of the game.
The Knights were successful in protecting their unblemished conference record, as the Scots had no time to recover from the large deficit.
Timmer led the Knights in scoring with 14 points. Bre Luurtsema was also a key player for Calvin, recording a double double, with 10 points along with a team-high 12 boards. Abby Springer also finished with 10 points, plus four steals. Ali Spayde contributed nine points, Kally Verkaik eight and Lauren Goldthorpe seven.
Calvin outrebounded their hosts 44-36.
Next Wednesday, the Knights are on the road again for a conference tilt against undefeated Hope College (15-0, 7-0). This matchup will be the first of the season between Calvin and the Dutch and will be a battle for first place in the MIAA, as both teams come into the contest undefeated in the league.

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

Calvin 7-0
Hope 7-0
Adrian 4-3
Olivet 4-3
Trine 4-3
Kalamazoo 3-5
Albion 2-5
Saint Mary's 1-6
Alma 0-7

MEN'S BASKETBALL
Alma 86, Calvin 64

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Alma Scots were too much for Knights to handle on Saturday afternoon. The Knights fall to 7-8 on the season and 2-2 in the MIAA with the 86-64 loss. Alma remains perfect in MIAA play at 4-0 and moves to 11-4 overall. The Scots snapped a 19-game losing streak at Calvin that had lasted since February of 1999.
"Alma is a really good team," said head coach Kevin Vande Streek. "(Alma head coach) Sam (Hargraves) has done a good job at Alma. I am a little disappointed in our mentality today. We could never really get on track today. We will find a way to get back to work for next week."
The Scots started the game on a 12-2 run, Calvin responded with an 21-7 run, highlighted by a pair of three-point baskets by sophomore Tony Canonie (South Haven, Mich./South Haven). The two teams made a living from the three-point line in the first half with a combined 15 baskets. Calvin went into halftime trailing, 46-39.
Alma controlled the second half and outscored the Knights in the final 20 minutes, 40-25.
Calvin outrebounded Alma on Saturday, 37-34.
Senior Jordan Daley (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) was the leading scorer for Calvin on Saturday with 16 points. Daley also led the Knights with three steals.
Sophomore Mike Siegel (Fremont, Mich./Fremont) and junior Cameron Denney (Bluffton, Ind./Norwell) both finished with six rebounds. Junior Michael Welch (Stevensville, Mich./Lakeshore) recorded four assists in the game.
The Knights return to action on Wednesday night as Calvin hosts Kalamazoo at 7:30 p.m. at Van Noord Arena.

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

Alma 4-0
Albion 3-1
Hope 3-1
Calvin 2-2
Trine 2-2
Adrian 1-3
Olivet 1-3
Kalamazoo 0-4

MEN'S SWIMMING AND DIVING

ALBION, Mich. - The No. 13 Knights defeated MIAA rival Albion on Saturday, 158-139. The win improves Calvin to 7-2 on the year and 5-0 against MIAA competition. The Knights picked up nine victories on the afternoon.
"Pretty solid afternoon," said head coach Dan Gelderloos. "You have to look between the lines for the victories this time of year and we had some victories today."
Calvin started the day winning the 400 medley relay. The team of freshman Ben Holstege (Keswick, Va./Covenant), senior Johnson Cochran (Mount Vernon, Ohio/Mount Vernon), junior Brett Stoughton (Centerville, Ind./Centerville) and senior Mitch Schroder (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) won with a time of 3:20.68.
Freshman Andrew Kasper (Batava, Ill./Marmion Academy) touched the wall first in the 1000 freestyle at 10:01.07.
In the 200 freestyle, Brandon Muma recorded a first-place finish with a time of 1:44.87.
Calvin recorded the two fastest times in the 100 backstroke on Saturday. Sophomore Skyler Fish (Ionia, Mich./Ionia) took first place at 54.36 and Ben Holstege finished in second place at 55.26
Johnson Cochran recorded the fastest time in the 100 breaststroke at 58.07. Cochran tallied another victory in the 200 breaststroke, finishing with a time of 2:08.29.
In the 200 butterfly, Calvin finished with the two-fastest times. Freshman Nathan Olberding (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville) won at 2:02.57 and sophomore Tanner Vincent (Novi, Mich./Novi) finished in second place at 2:05.65.
Freshman Stephen Barrett (Wyoming, Ohio/Wyoming) took home a first place finish in the 500 freestyle, finishing in first at 5:02.15.
The Knights finished the day taking first place in the 400 freestyle relay. The team of Mitch Schroder, Andrew Kasper, freshman Jarred Britton (Falls Church, Va./George Mason) and Brandon Muma won with a time of 3:11.36.
Calvin returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 23 as the Knights travel to Chicago to face the University of Chicago and DePauw.

WOMEN'S SWIMMING AND DIVING

ALBION, Mich. - The No. 18 Knights swam past the Britons of Albion on Saturday, 188.5-111.5. The win improves Calvin to 7-3 on the year. The Knights picked up 12 victories on the afternoon.
"Pretty solid afternoon," said head coach Dan Gelderloos. "You have to look between the lines for the victories this time of year and we had some victories today."
Freshman Kendall Murphy (Modesto, Calif.) recorded the first Calvin victory of the day in the 1000 freestyle, Murphy won with a time of 11:13.52.
In the 200 freestyle, Calvin recorded the two fastest times. Sophomore Abby VanHarn (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) finished in first place at 1:57.52 and freshman Anna Serino (Pinckney, Mich./Pinckney) in second place at 2:01.09.
Senior Alayna Gallegos (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville) swam a winning time of 2:17.52 in the 200 butterfly. She earned her second victory of the day in the 400 IM, finishing in first place at 5:01.76.
The Knights owned the boards on Saturday, taking the top-three scores in both events. On the 1-meter, sophomore Sarah Bradley (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North) finished in first place with a score of 221.10, in second place was freshman Hannahmarie Heismann (Monroe, Ohio/Monroe) at 208.25 and in third place was junior Hillary Glover (Wyoming, Mich./Calvin Christian) at 205.9. On the 3-meter, Bradley was once again victorious with a score of 247.95, Glover finished in second place at 243.85 and Heismann in third place at 220.72.
Abby VanHarn recorded her second victory of the day in the 50 freestyle, clocking in at 24.72. She picked up her third victory of the afternoon in the 100 freestyle, touching the wall at 53.36
Senior Megan Schroder (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) was victorious in the 200 backstroke with a winning time of 2:13.85.
In the 200 breaststroke, junior Adrienne Wesselius (Sioux Center, Iowa/Unity Christian) recorded a winning time of 2:40.42. She was followed by freshman Elysa Wolf (Austin, Texas/Regents School of Austin) in second place at 2:41.03.
Anna Serino earned a victory in the 500 freestyle at 5:24.56. In second place was Kendall Murphy at 5:29.11.
The Knights finished the afternoon winning the 400 freestyle relay. The team of Adrienne Wesselius, Abby VanHarn, Anna Serino and Meg Schroder won with a time of 3:30.83.
Calvin returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 23 as the Knights travel to Chicago to face the University of Chicago and DePauw.
Received on Sat Jan 16 22:47:07 2016