Calvin 72, Trine 65 (box)
I said I wasn't feeling comfortable about this game in the preview post, and the Knights didn't do anything to calm my nerves in the first 15 minutes of the game.
Trine jumped out to an early 7-0 lead, held off a Calvin rally, and eventually stretched the lead to 31-20.
There was five minutes left in the first half, and I felt like I needed to take a walk. Or take up smoking.
But my mother vowed years ago that she would cut off my fingers if I smoked, so that was out. And I didn't really want to crawl over people to reach the aisle, so I decided to stick it out until half time. What I did do was lean over and tell my buddy that Calvin needed to go on a 20-0 run.
That didn't happen.
But they did mount a 16-0 run over the final five minutes of the half to take a five point lead into the locker room. Good enough for me. Walk canceled.
The second half was much more satisfactory. Trine didn't go away quietly, but Calvin never relinquished the lead. By the time the final few minutes were ticking down, the game was really in hand.
To Holland!
Stats
| Player | %Min | %Shots | eFG% | PPWS | FTr | Ar | TO% | Rb% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powell | 0.53 | 0.34 | 0.222 | 0.44 | 0.00 | 0.59 | 0.10 | 0.08 |
| Salo | 0.68 | 0.12 | 1.125 | 2.25 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.33 | 0.02 |
| Rodts | 0.83 | 0.24 | 0.500 | 1.09 | 0.40 | 0.16 | 0.25 | 0.15 |
| Snikkers | 0.55 | 0.21 | 0.917 | 1.67 | 1.67 | 0.33 | 0.22 | 0.08 |
| Schuster | 0.63 | 0.22 | 0.143 | 0.29 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.13 | 0.09 |
| Brink | 0.50 | 0.24 | 0.667 | 1.58 | 1.00 | 0.29 | 0.18 | 0.14 |
| Haverdink | 0.35 | 0.11 | 0.750 | 1.86 | 3.00 | 0.33 | 0.29 | 0.12 |
| Schnyders | 0.33 | 0.18 | 0.333 | 0.67 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.40 | 0.00 |
| Kruis | 0.48 | 0.17 | 0.000 | 0.20 | 0.50 | 0.00 | 0.17 | 0.24 |
| DeYoung | 0.15 | 0.00 | 0.000 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1.00 | 0.09 |
| Total | 1.00 | 1.00 | 0.480 | 1.12 | 0.55 | 0.65 | 0.29 | 0.58 |
Another solid game on the boards. The Knights came into the game ranked #18 in D3 in rebounding margin at +7.4 per game. They were +11 tonight. A big part of the advantage came on the offensive end where they grabbed 15 of 32 available rebounds. 46.9% on the offensive end is fantastic (32% is about average). That goes a long way toward scratching out extra points.
It was a tough shooting night for Schuster, Powell, and to some extent Danny Rodts, but Tom Snikkers had a really nice game, and Jordan Brink and Brian Haverdink chipped in a combined 23 points off of the bench.
I'll give Havs the unsung hero award for the game. I really thought he'd have a nice year on the offensive end, but he's struggled more often than not. He really fought for it tonight, and although he was only 1-2 from the floor (both were three point attempts), he drew a few fouls and went 6-6 from the free throw line.
The box score for the game contains a special note:
Calvin hits 15 game pleateau for 27th straight season.Is that some sort of backhanded compliment to this years' team?
Up Next
Versus Albion at Hope on Friday.
Hope beat Alma handily (but not by 50), so the MIAA semifinals and finals will be held in Holland. Calvin faces off against #3 Albion in the 6:00 PM game, and #1 Hope hosts #5 Adrian at 8:15ish.
Calvin has beaten Albion twice this year, but Friday's game will be nothing like a picnic in the park. Winner gets to face the Hope/Adrian winner on Saturday to battle for the MIAA's automatic NCAA qualifier.
Two wins, and we're in.
