CKSR (Men's Basketball Falls to Hope in Rivalry Contest / Women's Basketball Tops Alma / Swimming and Diving Teams Receive Academic Honors / Van Harn Subject of MIAA Student Spotlight Video Feature)

CALVIN KNIGHT SPORTS REPORT FOR JAN. 25, 2017

Men's Basketball Falls to Hope in Rivalry Contest;
Women's Basketball Tops Alma - Moves Within Game of First Place in MIAA Standings;
Swimming and Diving Teams Receive CSCAA Academic Honors
Abby Van Harn Subject of MIAA Student Spotlight Video Feature

MEN'S BASKETBALL
Hope 87, Calvin 67
(By Gina de Haan)

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Calvin men's basketball team hosted the Hope College Flying Dutchmen on Wednesday evening in the 194th edition of The Rivalry series. The contest marked the final game in the first half of the MIAA schedule. First place in the conference standings was at stake as the Dutchmen entered the contest with a perfect 6-0 conference record, while the Knights sat a game behind at 5-1.
Hope was picked as favorite in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll in October, while Calvin was ranked fifth. Both teams were coming off Saturday victories with Hope claiming a 78-58 win at Kalamazoo while Calvin defeated Adrian 79-67 at home.
The Dutchmen improved their win streak to seven games, defeating the Knights 87-67 to remain in sole possession of first place in the conference. Despite closely contested first half, the Dutchmen used a 12-0 run in the final minutes before halftime to earn a 17-point advantage that the Knights were unable to recover from.
With the victory, Hope improves to 14-4 overall and 7-0 in the MIAA, while Calvin drops to 10-8 with a 5-2 conference mark. Hope leads The Rivalry series 101-93.
"In the first half I thought we were pretty locked in and executed things how we wanted to, but in the last three minutes it was kind of an unraveling," said Calvin men's basketball head coach Kevin Vande Streek. "In the second half, we just didn't string enough things together, whether it was stops or baskets. We were a little inconsistent."
The teams exchanged points in the first minutes of the game until the Knights used a five-point run to take a 10-4 lead. Three minutes into the contest, MIAA Player of the Week, Michael Wilks (Hudsonville, Mich./Unity Christian HS), knocked down a pair of free throws to put the Knights up by three. Senior Cam Denney (Bluffton, Ind./Norwell HS) followed, hitting a deep three-point field goal.
Despite the strong start by the Knights, the Hope offense began to heat up. The Dutchmen went on a 10-0 run, holding the home team scoreless for nearly four minutes. With just over 12 minutes to play in the first half, Calvin trailed Hope 16-12.
As the midpoint of the half neared, the two teams went back-and-forth in scoring, with Hope holding on to its lead. With 8:06 left before halftime, Denney snagged an offensive rebound from his own shot and put it back to cut the deficit to five points.
Following a Dutchmen timeout, Hope's Teddy Ray hit a triple to put his team up by eight. Calvin junior Tony Canonie (South Haven, Mich./South Haven HS) answered Ray in the next possession, knocking down a three-pointer of his own. However, the Dutchmen continued to roll offensively, as Harrison Blackledge scored five straight points to give Hope a 10-point lead and force a Calvin timeout with 4:45 left on the clock.
Coming out of the timeout, Calvin senior Nick Kronemeyer (Hamilton, Mich./Hamilton HS) halted the Dutchmen momentum, capitalizing on a three-point play to make the score 33-26.
By way of free throws, Calvin was able to come within five points of Hope with 2:42 remaining before halftime.
However, the Dutchmen found their groove in the final minutes of the half, going on a 12-0 run. As the teams headed into the locker room at the break, Hope held a commanding 47-30 lead.
The Knights struggled to contain Hope's offense in the first half as the Dutchmen shot 54.5% (18-33) from the field and 53.8% (7-13) from behind the three-point arc. Hope's Chad Carlson led all players with 13 points at the half (4-6 FG, 3-5 3-PT, 2-2 FT). On the other end of the floor, Calvin shot 32.1% (9-28) from the field and 22.2% (2-9) from three-point range.
The Knights scored first out of the break, but Blackledge responded for the Dutchmen with six straight points. Hope led by 21, its largest lead of the game. Back-to-back three-pointers from the Knights, courtesy of sophomore Lucas Van Boxel (Montague, Mich./Montague HS) and Wilks, revived the home team. However, Calvin still trailed 53-38 with 15:48 left to play.
Calvin would come within 15 points of the Dutchmen three more times, but were unable to narrow the deficit any further. The Knights struggled to stop Hope's strong offensive effort, led by Blackledge who had 16 second-half points.
Blackledge led all players with 25 points (10-19 FG, 2-4 3-PT, 3-3 FT) and also led the Dutchmen with seven rebounds. Carlson and Cody Stuive followed, finishing with 15 and 11 points, respectively. Hope shot 50.8% from the field (33-65) and 39.1% from 3-point range (9-23) on the evening.
Wilks led the Knights' offense with 18 points. Denney posted a double-double, recording 15 points and a game-high 17 rebounds, along with five assists. Seniors Michael Welch (Stevensville, Mich./Lakeshore HS) and Kronemeyer chipped in nine and seven points, respectively.
The Knights' three-game home stand will come to a close this Saturday when they host Trine University. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m.

MIAA MEN'S BASKETBALL STANDINGS THROUGH 1-25-17 GAMES

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

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Calvin 62, Alma 52

(By Gina de Haan)

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - On Wednesday evening, the No. 25 Calvin women's basketball team welcomed the Alma College Scots to Van Noord Arena, marking the second matchup between the two conference teams this season. The Knights took the first meeting of the year, defeating the Scots 71-64 at Alma's Art Smith Arena.
Calvin claimed the second meeting by a score of 62-52, earning its sixth consecutive victory. The Knights improve to 17-2 overall and 8-2 in the MIAA. With the loss, the Scots drop to 5-13 overall with a 3-6 conference mark.
Fueled by eight points by senior Anna Timmer (Caledonia, Mich./South Christian HS), the Knights jumped out to a 19-5 first quarter lead. The Knights held the Scots scoreless for the final three minutes of the quarter, going on a 9-0 run.
With just over a minute remaining in the first quarter, freshman Nicole Meyer (Macomb, Mich./Eisenhower HS) knocked down her first career three-point field goal.
The Scots outscored the Knights 17-14 in the second quarter, but Calvin held onto a 33-22 lead at halftime.
At the break, Timmer led all players with 12 points and six rebounds.
The Knights scored the first five points of the second half to go up by 16. Junior Ali Spayde (Lewis Center, Ohio/Worthington Christian HS) knocked down a three-pointer, and sophomore Rachel Warners (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian HS) followed with a made layup.
The Scots responded by outscoring the Knights 13-2 in the following six minutes to cut the Knights' lead to five points. Alma knocked down three triples in the offensive surge.
Despite the pressure from the Scots, Calvin closed out the third quarter with a strong offensive effort, scoring nine straight points. Junior Lauren Goldthorpe (St. Ignace, Mich./Lasalle HS) knocked down a three-pointer and a pair of jump shots, contributing seven points in the run.
Calvin possessed a 53-39 lead to start the fourth quarter. With 7:41 left to play, Timmer put in a layup to put the Knights up by 15. However, the Scots scored seven straight points, holding the home team scoreless for nearly five minutes.
With 3:22 remaining, the Scots trailed by eight. However, the Knights were able to maintain possession and run down the clock, forcing Alma to foul. Calvin led by ten points as time expired.
Timmer led all players in scoring and rebounding, finishing with 16 points and 11 boards to log her thirteenth double-double of the season. She also moved past Kayla Engelhard and into 10th place on the Calvin career scoring list, boosting her career total to 1,165 points. Bre Luurtsema (Holland, Mich./Holland Christian HS) contributed 15 points, seven rebounds and three steals. Goldthorpe and Spayde chipped in 12 points apiece; 10 of Goldthorpe's points came in the second half. Meyer snagged 10 rebounds and also recorded two blocks.
Alma was led in scoring by Abbigale Philipson and Tara Padgett who finished with 14 and 12 points, respectively.
The Knights are back in action on Saturday afternoon when they host the Belles of Saint Mary's. In the first meeting of the year between the two teams, Calvin earned an 82-37 road victory. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m.

MIAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL STANDINGS THROUGH 1-25-17 GAMES

Hope 9-1
Trine 9-1
Calvin 8-2
Albion 7-3
Adrian 5-5
Alma 3-6
Kalamazoo 2-8
Olivet 1-8
Saint Mary's 0-10

MEN'S AND WOMEN'S SWIMMING AND DIVING

The Calvin men's and women's swimming and diving teams have not only produced in the pool but also in the classroom. Both teams were recently named to the College Swimming Coaches Association of America Scholar All-America honor roll.
The Team Scholar All American award is presented to college and university swimming and diving teams, who have achieved a grade point average of 3.0 or higher. The award is presented twice annually, once in the fall semester/term and in the semester/term of the NCAA/NAIA/NJCAA Swimming and Diving Championships (Winter/Spring).
Under the direction of head coach Dan Gelderloos, the Calvin women's team posted a cumulative team grade point average of 3.41 for the fall semester while the Calvin men's team posted a cumulative team grade point average of 3.27.
"I am very proud of our teams for accomplishing this goal," said Gelderloos. "One of the goals before the year begins is to earn this award. We stress hard work and excellence not only in the pool but in the classroom. It is gratifying to see our student-athletes recognized for their efforts."

MORE WOMEN'S SWIMMING AND DIVING

Calvin College junior Abby Van Harn (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian HS) is the latest subject of the MIAA Student Spotlight video feature.
The interview with Van Harn can be found on the MIAA YouTube channel at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWQ_pnHjmCI&feature=youtu.be
Received on Wed Jan 25 23:40:43 2017