GRAND RAPIDS, MI – The Calvin University men's basketball opens the New Year with a non-conference home game at Van Noord Arena with a matchup against Grace Christian University on Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
The Teams: Calvin and Grace Christian. The Knights enter the game with a 5-5 overall record and have not played any conference games. Calvin most recently won two non-conference matchups against Skidmore College and Emory & Henry College. The Tigers enter the game with 7-9 overall record. Grace Christian fell to Cornerstone University last Saturday by a score of 68-59.
The Coaches: Bill Sall is in his 1st season as head coach of the Calvin men's basketball program. Gary Bailey is in his 14th season as the head coach of the Grace Christian men's basketball program. Bailey is a 6-time NCCAA National Champion and was the NCCAA National Coach of the Year in 2009 and 2010. He currently has 315 wins at Grace Christian which is most all-time in school history.
The Players: The Knights have two players averaging double digits in scoring. Derrick DeVries is averaging 24.8 points per game while teammate Thad Shymankski is averaging 16.5.
The Tigers have three players averaging double digits in scoring; Austin Jackson, Brandon Winchester-Jones, Adam Kregel.
Tale of the Tape: Points per game – Calvin 74.7, Grace 77.63; opponents' points per game – Calvin 76.0, Grace 82.3; field goal percentage – Calvin 44.2, Grace 44.7; three-point percentage – Calvin 36.5, Grace 33.2; free throw percentage – Calvin 79.5, Grace 65.9; rebounds per game – Calvin 36.1, Grace 35.0; assist-to-turnover ratio – Calvin 0.99, Grace 1.2.
Tops in the MIAA: Derrick DeVries is second in the MIAA in scoring at 24.8 points per game and first in rebounds per game with 7.7/
Scoring Offense: The Knights are fifth in the MIAA in scoring offense at 74.7 points per game.
Recent History: Calvin is 13-3 against Grace Christian all-time. The Knights won the meeting last year with a score of 76-62. More information on the series history can be found by visiting the link above.
Coverage: Live statistics and live video of the game will be available – visit the links above.
Social Media: Calvin athletics is represented on Facebook (Calvin Knights), Twitter (@CalvinKnights) and Instagram (@CalvinAthletics ). Follow all the happenings of Calvin University on social media by using the hashtag "#GoCalvin".
Up Next: Calvin is headed to Albion College for a 7:30 p.m. contest on Wednesday January 8.
