CKSR (Basketball Teams Claim Conference Victories / Track and Field Teams Open Indoor Campaigns at GVSU Invite)

CALVIN KNIGHT SPORTS REPORT FOR JAN. 14, 2017

Basketball Teams Claim Conference Victories;
Track and Field Teams Open Indoor Campaigns at GVSU Invite

MEN'S BASKETBALL
Calvin 95, Alma 85

ALMA, Mich. - Calvin remained unbeaten in MIAA play and stretched its win streak to five games in the process with a 95-86 victory at Alma Saturday afternoon.

The Calvin victory snapped Alma's 16-game home court win streak at Art Smith Arena as the Scots dropped their first contest at their home court since an 85-65 loss to Wheaton on December 13, 2014.

Calvin (10-5 overall, 4-0 MIAA) was able to match Alma's high-powered offensive attack in the first half as the Knights trailed just 47-45 at intermission.
Alma (6-9 overall, 2-2 MIAA) shot 56.3 percent from the field in the first half including 8-of-16 from three-point range but Calvin was able to get to the free throw line 16 times and convert 13 charity tosses in the opening 20 minutes to keep pace.

Calvin used a 9-0 run midway through the second half to build a 73-66 lead with 9:30 left, forcing the Scots out of their zone defense and into a man-to-man defensive look. With a decided height advantage, Calvin began to pound the ball inside and did so effectively, shooting 55.6 percent from the field over the final 20 minutes.

The Knights converted six consecutive field goals without a miss from the 5:28 mark to the 2:47 mark to take an 88-80 lead. Junior Michael Wilks (Hudsonville, Mich./Unity Christian HS had three baskets during the run, en route to finishing with a career-high 28 points.

Alma closed to within six at 92-86 with 23 seconds remaining but a free throw by senior Cam Denney (Bluffton, Ind./Norwell HS) and a steal and breakaway layup by senior Nick Kronemeyer (Hamilton, Mich./Hamilton HS) in the closing moments sealed the win for the Knights.

"At halftime I had to take a deep breath because I wasn't sure if we could keep up with the offensive pace that Alma likes to play with," said Calvin men's basketball coach Kevin Vande Streek. "To our credit, our guys kept attacking the (Alma) zone and finding ways to score. Once we got a little bit of a lead, Alma had to come out and play us man-to-man. At that point, we really started to pound the ball inside which helped dictate the game in our favor."

In addition to Wilks, senior Michael Welch (Stevensville, Mich./Lakeshore HS) poured in a career-high 19 points on 8 of 12 shooting while grabbing seven rebounds. He also blocked a shot, was credited with a steal and dished out a pair of assists.
"This was a team win but I thought Michael Welch was really outstanding for us," said Vande Streek. "He asserted himself inside and came up with several key plays. Michael Wilks also had another big game. He is playing his best basketball right now and that is fun to see."

Denney also had a big game, nearly notching a triple-double as he posted 17 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists while turning the ball over only two times. Freshman Tony DeWitte (Grandville, Mich./Calvin Christian HS) had 12 points including three triples. Kronemeyer also turned in a gritty backcourt performance, scoring seven points, collecting three assists and snaring a career-high 11 rebounds. Of his 11 rebounds, six were offensive boards.

Calvin shot 47.9 percent from the field and was 21 of 29 (.724) from the free throw line. The Knights were also 6 of 17 from three-point range and are now 7-0 this year in games where they have connected on six or more three-point shots.
Alma shot 50.8 percent overall from the field and was 13 of 27 (.481) from three-point range but Calvin outrebounded Alma 43-31 and scored 17 second chance points against the Scots. Calvin also outscored Alma by eight points at the charity stripe as the Scots were 13 of 20 at the free throw line.
Alma had five players notch double-digits in scoring led by Trevor Gernaat with 16 points.
Calvin continues to share first place in the MIAA standings with rival Hope which also improved to 4-0 with a win at Trine on Saturday. Calvin returns to action next Wednesday when it travels to Kalamazoo for a 7:30 p.m. contest.

MIAA MEN'S BASKETBALL STANDINGS THROUGH 1-14-17 GAMES

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

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Calvin 63, Albion 58

ALBION, Mich. - The Calvin women's basketball team came up with a key 63-58 road win at Albion Saturday afternoon at Kresge Gymnasium.

The Knights (14-2 overall, 6-2 MIAA) overcame a frigid start to the game as they fell behind 13-0 to open the game and did not convert a field goal until the 2:40 mark of the first quarter.

Calvin scored the final eight points of the first quarter however to trail just 13-8 and remained within striking distance at halftime, trailing just 22-18.
In the third quarter, senior Lauren Goldthorpe (St. Ignace, Mich./LaSalle HS) got loose for 11 points. Albion (11-4 overall, 4-3 MIAA) led 37-30 with 4:15 remaining in the third quarter but the Knights closed out the quarter with a 13-2 scoring run with Goldthorpe giving the Knights the lead for good on a pair of free throws during the surge.

Albion cut the Calvin lead down to one on two occasions in the fourth quarter but the Knights responded each time as junior Bre Luurtsema (Holland, Mich./Holland Christian HS) scored inside to put the Knights up 47-44 and senior Ann Timmer (Caledonia, Mich./South Christian HS) added a layup to give Calvin a 52-49 advantage.

Goldthorpe was then clutch for Calvin down the stretch, scoring nine points in the final 5:36 to help the Knights hold on for the win. Goldthorpe swished a key three-pointer with to put the Knights up 55-49 and went 4-for-4 at the free throw line in the final minute of play.

Goldthorpe finished the game with a career-high 26 points, shooting 8 of 17 from the field and 9 of 9 from the free throw line while also grabbing five rebounds. Luurtsema just missed a double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Timmer had 13 points on 6 of 8 shooting while junior Ali Spayde (Lewis Center, Oh./Worthington Christian HS) had 10 points and six assists. Freshman Nicole Meyer (Macomb, Mich./Eisenhower HS) had a career-high eight rebounds in a reserve role.

"We are excited to pick up this win," said Calvin women's basketball coach Chuck Winkelman. "This was a gritty win for the Knights on the road. We never quit and battled back after spotting them a 13-0 lead to start the game."
Calvin shot 51.1 percent from the field including 60.9 percent (14 of 23) in the second half. The Knights also converted 15 of 18 (.833) of their free throw opportunities.

Albion shot 35.9 percent from the floor. The Britons were led in scoring by Oreyana Curry with 18 points. Calvin held a 35-32 rebounding advantage.

The Knights return to action next Wednesday, traveling to Rochester College (Mich.) for a non-conference game at 7:30 p.m.

MIAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL STANDINGS THROUGH 1-14-17

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

MEN'S TRACK AND FIELD

ALLENDALE, Mich. - The Calvin men's track and field team opened its 2017 indoor season at the Grand Valley State Eubanks Open Friday night.
Despite sending a small portion of its squad to the meet, the Knights were able to make an impact.

In the long jump, sophomore Lee Barents (Redlands, Ca./Arrowhead Christian HS) tied for sixth with a jump of 20-3.

In the high jump, sophomore Nathan Van Whye (Frankfort, Il.) tied for fifth with a jump of 6-1 1/4.

Sophomore Brendan Van Houten (Comstock Park, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian HS) had a strong showing in the throws, placing ninth in the shot put (43-5 3/4) and ninth in the weight throw (46-2 1/2).

In the 3,000 meter run, senior Jordan Kramer (Pewaukee, Wisc./Lake Country Lutheran HS) was sixth (8:33.01), senior Nathan Van Haitsma (Olympia, Wash./Olympia HS) ninth (8:41.65) and freshman Tyler Johnson (Grand Rapids, Mich./Home Schooled) 10th (8:44.86).

In the 800 meters, senior Nathan Anderson (Milan, Mich./Milan HS) was 10th (2:01.78), sophomore Luke Peterson (Holland, Mich./Holland Christian HS) 12th (2:02.17) and junior Nathan Veldboom (East Jordan, Mich./Ellsworth HS) 16th (2:03.56).

Freshman Jonathan Walt (Hudsonville, Mich./Unity Christian HS) added a 10th place finish in the pole vault (13-5 1/4).

Calvin is back in action on January 21 when it competes at an invitational hosted by Spire Institute College.

WOMEN'S TRACK AND FIELD

ALLENDALE, Mich. - The Calvin women's track and field team opened its indoor season Friday night at the GVSU Eubanks Invitational.

With just a small portion of its team at the meet, the Knights were still able to produce several quality performances.

Junior Jenna Dyksen (Hawthorne, NJ/Hawthorne HS) had a big performance in the 60 meter hurdles, placing seventh with a time of 9.30.

In the high jump, freshman Annika Staal (Woodinville, Wash./Bellevue Christian HS) and sophomore Erin Van Lenten (Hawthorne, NJ/Eastern Christian HS) tied for seventh with jumps of 4-10 1/4.

In the shot put, senior Michaela Meckes (Bay City, Mich./Saginaw Valley Lutheran HS) was 13th (36-11 1/2).

In the 3,000 meters, freshman Michelle Koetje (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian HS) was ninth (11:08.69), sophomore Maria Kuiper (Zeeland, Mich./Holland Christian HS) 10th (11:10.64), freshman Leah Bishop (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian HS) 11th (11:35.69) and freshman Jenna Gaffner (Hudsonville, Mich./Unity Christian HS) 12th (11:45.07).
Calvin is back in action on January 21 when it competes at an invitational hosted by Spire Institute College.
Received on Sat Jan 14 22:13:57 2017