CALVIN KNIGHT SPORTS REPORT FOR DECEMBER 22, 2016
Women's Basketball Downs Kean in Puerto Rico;
Men's Basketball Drops Anderson
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Calvin 65, Kean 55
SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO - Calvin opened play at the Puerto Rico Clasico with a gritty 65-55 victory over Kean University (N.J.) Wednesday afternoon at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum.
Playing its first game in 10 days, Calvin (10-1) showed signs of sluggishness early but found a way to forge a 15-13 lead at the end of one quarter of play.
Kean (7-4) opened the second quarter with a 7-0 run to build a 20-15 lead but Calvin closed out the half on a 12-3 run capped off by a layup by sophomore Rachel Warners (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian HS) just before the first half buzzer. The bucket by Warners boosted the Knights into a 27-23 halftime lead. Senior Lauren Goldthorpe (St. Ignace, Mich./Lasalle HS) was red-hot from the perimeter in the first half, connecting on all six of her field goal attempts including three from beyond the three-point arc to post 15 points over the opening 20 minutes.
Calvin bumped its lead up to 35-26 early in the third quarter but the Cougars ripped off 10 unanswered points over the next two minutes to take a brief 36-35 lead. Senior Anna Timmer (Caledonia, Mich./South Christian HS) and junior Bre Luurtsema (Holland, Mich./Holland Christian HS) combined to score the next eight points for the Knights however and Calvin used free throws from freshman Nicole Meyer (Macomb, Mich./Eisenhower) and Warners to take a 45-40 lead heading into the final quarter of play.
Junior guard Ali Spayde (Lewis, Center, Oh./Worthington Christian HS) then came alive for the Knights in the fourth quarter, scoring 12 of her 17 points. Spayde was clutch down the stretch, connecting on a pair of crucial jumpers with the shot clock winding down inside the final two minutes of play to help seal the win.
Goldthorpe finished the game with a career-high 21 points on 8 of 14 shooting including 5 of 9 from three-point range. She also grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds to notch her first collegiate double-double. Timmer also had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. The double-double was the 16th of her career and her eighth of the season.
In addition to her 17 points, Spayde had three rebounds, two assists and two steals. Luurtsema had nine points, eight rebounds and three assists while also playing strong defense on Kean's Marajiah Bacon - the 2016 NCAA III scoring champion. Bacon finished the game with 19 points but was just 7 of 19 from the field. Warners also chipped in with seven points and six rebounds for Calvin.
The Knights finished the game with a 52-44 rebounding advantage after being outrebounded 22-20 in the first half.
Calvin will now turn its attention to a Thursday morning game against Grove City College (Pa.) which is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. (EST) in San Juan.
CALVIN WOMEN'S BASKETBALL COACH CHUCK WINKELMAN POSTGAME AUDIO INTERVIEW: http://static.psbin.com/j/7/k8mo35bhmnujhx/ChuckWinkelmanDec2116KeanPostgame.mp3
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Calvin 89, Anderson 86
By Gina de Haan
On Wednesday evening, the Calvin men's basketball team welcomed the Ravens of Anderson University to Van Noord Arena for a nonconference matchup.
The Knights entered the contest at 3-5 overall, looking to bounce back from a 74-65 loss to Wheaton. The Ravens possessed a 5-3 record, having fallen 88-86 in their last game to conference opponent Hanover.
It was Calvin who persevered to earn its fourth victory of the season, defeating Anderson 89-86.
"They were a very good offensive team, which really challenged us defensively," said Calvin men's basketball head coach Kevin Vande Streek. "We have continued to get better all semester, and I thought it was great that we were rewarded with a win."
Calvin jumped out to an early 8-3 advantage behind four points by Austin Bykerk (Jenison, Mich./Unity Christian HS), holding the lead for the first ten minutes of the contest.
With 9:13 left in the first half, the Ravens went on a 5-0 run to tie the score at 22. Anderson's Malik Laffoon knocked down a three-pointer and Stanley Duncan added two points, earning a steal in the next possession that led to a fastbreak layup.
Calvin's Michael Wilks (Hudsonville, Mich./Unity Christian HS) responded, scoring the next eight points of the contest to give the Knights a 30-22 lead. Wilks capitalized on two three-point plays during his scoring run.
Anderson's Cory Kreiger hit a three-point shot to halt the Knights' momentum with 6:53 left in the first.
Behind 16 first half points by Wilks (6-8 FG, 4-4 FT), Calvin held a 47-40 lead at halftime. The Knights outrebounded the Ravens 20-9 in the first half.
Less than three minutes into the second half, Anderson's Brett Anderson hit a three-pointer to tie the score at 49.
With 13:24 left to play, the Knights went on an 11-point run, behind five points from Derrick DeVries (Grand Rapids, Mich./Covenant Christian HS), to make the score 71-60.
The Ravens chipped away at the Knights lead, cutting the deficit to one with 4:53 remaining in the contest. Calvin scored the next four points to make the score 83-78.
With just over one minute remaining, the scoreboard read 85-82 in favor of Calvin and Anderson called timeout. Out of the break, Cam Denney (Bluffton, Ind./Norwell HS) dunked to put the Knights up by five.
Anderson's Stanley Duncan knocked down two free throws with 39 seconds left to play, but they would be the Ravens' last points of the contest, as Anderson failed to capitalize on its last possession. Denney snagged the rebound, was fouled, and knocked down a pair of free throws to secure an 89-86 Calvin victory.
Calvin's offense was led in scoring by Michael Wilks who had a career-high 25 points (9-13 FG, 0-1 3PT, 7-7 FT). Cam Denney logged a double-double, finishing with 19 points and 14 rebounds. Freshman Tony DeWitte (Grandville, Mich./Calvin Christian HS) finished with 14 points, seven points and three steals.
Anderson's Trevor Lucas led the Ravens with 22 points, four assists and six rebounds.
Calvin shot 55.7% (34-61) from the floor and 95% from the line (19-20). The Knights outrebounded the Ravens 39-21 in the victory.
"We made a few mistakes defensively to start the second half, but when they came back, we showed very good mental toughness to grind it out," said Vande Streek.
The Knights are back in next week Thursday when they will travel to Wittenberg where they will face off against Millikin University.
Received on Thu Dec 22 06:32:19 2016
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