CKSR (Basketball Teams Claim Conference Victories Over Alma)

CALVIN KNIGHT SPORTS REPORT FOR JANUARY 6, 2018

Basketball Teams Claim Conference Victories Over Alma

MEN'S BASKETBALL
Calvin 80, Alma 63

ALMA, Mich. - Calvin claimed a key 80-63 conference victory at Alma Saturday afternoon. The Knights (5-8 overall, 1-1 MIAA) used a spirited first half defensive effort to take control of the game and eventually roll on to the win.

The Knights (5-8 overall, 1-1 MIAA) used a spirited first half defensive effort to take control of the game and eventually roll on to the win.

Calvin held Alma 13 points under its season scoring average in the victory.

Calvin led 40-27 at halftime. The Knights used an 8-0 run in the first half to build a 24-13 lead and then used a 9-4 run to take a 35-21 lead.

The Knights maintained a double-digit lead from that point on, continuing to answer every Alma surge with timely shooting as Calvin outscored the Scots 40-36 in the second half.

Calvin received a big lift from freshman Luke Morrison who popped in 23 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out five assists. Morrison was 8-of-17 from the floor and 5-of-10 from three-point range.

"We had great intensity to start the game on defense and that really set the tone for our team," said Calvin men's basketball coach Kevin Vande Streek. "Luke Morrison gave us a big scoring punch but we had several other guys step up when we needed them too. It was a great team win."
Junior Austin Bykerk (Jenison, Mich./Unity Christian HS) and junior Jason Walter (Coloma, Mich./Coloma HS) had 12 points apiece. Sophomore Derrick DeVries (Grand Rapids, Mich./Covenant Christian HS) had 11 points and nine rebounds.
Senior Michael Wilks (Hudsonville Mich./Unity Christian HS) had nine points off the bench, hitting several clutch shots that countered Alma's comeback efforts. Sophomore Alex Bos (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian HS) had eight points and eight rebounds. Senior Tony Canonie (South Haven, Mich./South Haven HS) had five points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals.
As a team, Calvin blocked six Alma shots.

Alma (4-9 overall, 1-1 MIAA) was led by Scott Maki with 13 points.

Calvin shot 47.1 percent from the field and held a 42-41 rebounding advantage. Alma turned the ball over 19 times and was 5-of-26 from three-point range.
Calvin will now prepare to travel to rival Hope on Wednesday night with the opening tip set for 8 p.m. at Hope's DeVos Fieldhouse.

The game will feature the 197th meeting between the two teams in men's basketball in a series that Hope leads 101-95.
MIAA MEN'S BASKETBALL STANDINGS THROUGH 1-6-18

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

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Calvin 59, Alma 50

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Calvin women's basketball team improved to 4-1 in MIAA action with a 59-50 victory over Alma on Saturday afternoon. The victory keeps the Knights tied for second place in the MIAA and moves Calvin to 9-5 on the season.
Calvin opened the game with a pair of baskets from junior Rachel Warners (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) and senior Ali Spayde (Lewis Center, Ohio/Worthington Christian). The Scots used a 6-1 run to regain the lead at 6-5. Calvin responded with a layup from Caitlyn Demaree to take the lead right back. A layup from senior Bre Luurtsema (Holland, Mich./Holland Christian) gave the Knights an 11-9 lead going into the second quarter.
The Maroon and Gold jumped out to a 5-1 run in the opening minute of the second quarter with a three-point basket from sophomore Kara Minderhoud (Grand Rapids, Mich./Covenant Christian) and a layup from Bre Luurtsema. The Knights would go seven minutes until their next basket. Freshman Caitlyn Demaree (St. Louis, Mo./Principia) ended the drought with a three-point basket and a layup from Rachel Warners gave Calvin a 21-18 lead at halftime.
Calvin scored 21 points in the third quarter, matching the Knights entire first-half scoring. After Alma cut the lead to 21-20, the Knights went on a 7-0 run to earn some separation. Ali Spayde led all players with nine points in the third quarter.
Sophomore Nicole Meyer (Macomb, Mich./Eisenhower) started the scoring in the fourth quarter. With Calvin leading 46-36, Meyer started a 9-0 run to push the lead to 55-36. The Scots tried to claw back, but it would not be enough to knock off the Knights.
Bre Luurtsema finished with a game-high 15 points on Saturday. She also recorded four rebounds, two assists and one steal.
Kara Minderhoud led Calvin with a career-high eight rebounds in the win, she also had 11 points and two assists.
Ali Spayde checked in with eight assists that ties her career high, four rebounds, five steals and 13 points.
Nicole Meyer tallied a season-high six points on Saturday.
The Knights face a tough challenge next week when they host Albion on Wednesday and close the week at Hope.

MIAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL STANDINGS THROUGH 1-6-18

Hope 5-0
Albion 4-1
Calvin 4-1
Trine 4-1
Kalamazoo 2-3
Saint Mary's 2-3
Adrian 2-4
Olivet 1-5
Alma 0-6
Received on Sat Jan 6 22:55:26 2018