AANGOLA, Ind. - A strong second half comeback effort came up short on Saturday as the Knights fell at Trine University 80-70.

Calvin (7-8 overall, 2-2 MIAA) fell behind 13-0 in the opening five-and-a-half minutes of the game and struggled to gain footing the rest of the half. The host Thunder led 48-24 at halftime before the Knights began their second half comeback bid.

Calvin used a 15-4 run over a five-minute span to claw back to within seven at 55-48 with 11:10 remaining. Sophomore Benji Kuiper (Allendale, Mich./Covenant Christian HS) swished in a three-ball to cap the run. A jump shot by senior Carlos Amoros-Gutierrez (Wyoming, Mich./Wyoming HS) brought Calvin within seven at 57-50 with just over 10 minutes left but the Thunder rolled off an 11-2 run over the next three minutes to build a 68-52 lead.

The Knights got back within eight at 75-68 on a jumper by senior Jason Walter (Coloma, Mich./Coloma HS) with just over a minute to play but got no closer the rest of the way.

Senior Austin Bykerk (Jenison, Mich./Unity Christian HS) led Calvin in scoring with 15 points and nine rebounds while freshman Carson Meulenberg (Grand Rapids, Mich./Covenant Christian HS) matched a career scoring high with 12 points to go with nine rebounds. Junior Alex Bos (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian HS) added eight points and nine boards. Junior Tony DeWitte (Grandville, Mich./Calvin Christian HS) had nine points with Walter chipping in with eight points.

Calvin held a 47-33 rebounding advantage but Trine was 10 of 16 from three-point range with Langston Johnson connecting on five three-point field goals for the Thunder in finishing with a game-high 24 points.

Calvin returns to action next Wednesday when it hosts Kalamazoo at 7:30 p.m. at Van Noord Arena.