(By Jeff VanderPloeg)

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Calvin celebrated both 100 years of Calvin Men's Basketball and three great seniors on Saturday, the celebration culminating in an 81-52 win over Adrian. With the win, Calvin clinched a first-round bye in the MIAA tournament next weekend by finishing second in the conference.

Prior to the game, Calvin honored seniors Alex Bos, Derrick DeVries and Tony DeWitte.

With the first-round bye, Calvin advances to the MIAA Tournament semifinals next Friday at Albion. The Knights will play the winner of a Tuesday first round tournament game between Hope and Adrian. Friday's MIAA Tournament semifinal will tip off at 5 p.m. at Albion's Kresge Gymnasium.

In its victory over Adrian, Calvin started out hot and did not look back. Stifling defense helped Calvin build a 15-3 lead early, the offense coming from threes by Tony DeWitte and Derrick DeVries. The Bulldogs made only one of their first twelve shots, and the Knights continued to build the lead. DeVries led the way on offense for Calvin in the first half, scoring 17 points in the frame.

Calvin's guards, Thad Shymanski and Sam LaDuke, got into early foul trouble as they tried to contain Jordan Harris of the Bulldogs. Sophomore Jacob Williams came into the game in relief and held Harris at bay as the first half continued. A three from Alex Bos extended the Calvin lead to 17 as the half approached. Calvin led at the half, 36-18.

Harris hit a three right after halftime, trying to breathe life back into the Adrian offense. Playing with three fouls, LaDuke had the answer. Several good defensive possessions, a steal, and two consecutive triples for LaDuke propelled the Knights to a 49-23 lead. DeWitte then took the offensive baton, scoring an eight-point run of his own to make it 60-32 Calvin.

Harris responded with a nine-point run of his own on three straight threes, bringing the game back within 20 for the Bulldogs. Harris finished with 30 points to lead the Bulldogs. After a timeout, however, Calvin calmed the game down and controlled the rest of the way, en-route to a 31-point win.

DeVries notched his eighth 30-point game of the season, finishing with 31 in his final game at the Van Noord Arena. With that performance, DeVries clinched the scoring title for the MIAA this season.

While DeVries contributed most of the offense, DeWitte and Bos were crucial to Calvin's defensive success. Bos patrolled the lane with excellent help defense and rebounding, and DeWitte shut down Jeremy Kalonji on the interior despite giving up three inches in height. Kalonji averaged 20 points per game on the year, but DeWitte was able to hold him to just two. DeWitte and Bos contributed offensively as well. DeWitte ended with 14 points and shot 3-6 from three. Bos scored 13 points and grabbed 15 boards for the double-double.

Calvin as a team shot 11-21 from beyond the arc, good for 52.4%. The Knights also outrebounded the Bulldogs 48-34. With the win, Calvin moved to 9-5 in conference and 15-10 overall, surpassing last year's win total despite having played two less games. Seniors DeVries, Bos, and DeWitte head into the MIAA tournament with their career record standing at 56-49.

COACHES COMMENT: "Tony Dewitte was incredible today," head coach Bill Sall said. "He limited [Jeremy] Kalonji's points, looks, he just defended him well and shut him down. That's a really tough matchup for someone with such a height disadvantage, but he locked down. Tony struggled last time with Harris's quickness, so today's matchup was by elimination actually, but Tony did a great job. Tony's been doing that all year. He has really dominated on the defensive side, it's great to see Tony doing those things. This was a great team win and it was an honor to have so many alumni return to campus today that have all played a part in building this program. Now it's time for our team to refocus and get ready for the league tournament."

NOTES: During media timeouts, Calvin basketball teams and players from the past were recognized. During halftime, members throughout the many years of the program alumni lined the court to be recognized for their contributions to 100 years of Calvin basketball. Mark Veenstra, Mickey Phelps, the 2000 National Championship team, and the 2005 Final Four team all received ovations from the Calvin crowd.