Box Score GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - In the 205th meeting of the rivalry between Hope and Calvin, the Knights fell to the Flying Dutchmen with a final score of 78-65 on Wednesday evening at Van Noord Arena.
In the first meeting in almost a year, both teams struggled in the early minutes to put points on the board. A made layup by Thad Shymanski (Ada, MI / Grand Rapids Christian) put the Knights up 5-2 with 16:55 left in the half.
The Knights held a tight lead over the Flying Dutchmen with a score of 13-12 after a made jumper by Shymanski. Hope started to gain some momentum with about 9 minutes left in the half by going on an 8-2 run to take a 20-15 lead. The Knights answered with a run of their own, going on a 9-2 spurt after a great pass from Uchenna Egekeze (Huntley, IL / Huntley) to Shymanski for a three to make it 24-22.
It was a back and forth contest the rest of the half and both teams were playing well defensively. However, Hope went into halftime with a slight advantage over Calvin with a score of 31-29.
Shymanski led the team with 9 points at half while Alec Fruin (Beloit, WI / Turner) and Luke Morrison (Bristol, IN / Northridge) each had 7 points. Calvin shot 11-31 (35.5%) from the field and 2-9 (22.2%) from the three-point line. The Flying Dutchmen outrebounded the Knights 20-15 in the first half, but the Knights entered halftime with 8 steals.
Both teams traded buckets early in the second half and it was tied 36-36 after a made 3-pointer by Morrison. A huge driving layup by junior Eli Sensenig (Grayslake, Westlake Christian Academy) gave the Knights a 46-45 lead over the Flying Dutchmen with 12:58 left in the game.
Hope responded with an 8-0 run to retake the lead with a score of 52-46 with 10 minutes left in the game. The Flying Dutchmen continued to gain momentum as they pushed their lead to 64-51 with 5:44 left. Calvin struggled to find a rhythm offensively as Hope was quickly putting the game out of reach.
Hope held on to its lead the remainder of the game and the Knights fall to the Flying Dutchmen with a final score of 78-65. Calvin falls to 8-6 on the season and 1-2 in the MIAA.
Morrison led the Knights with 20 points while Shymanksi ended the night with 13 points. Fruin and Marcus Bult (Wheaton, IL / Wheaton Academy) each finished the game with 9 points.
Hope shot 44.8 percent from the floor while Calvin shot 37.1 percent. Hope was 19 of 21 (.905) at the free throw line while Calvin was 13 of 19 (.684).
COACHES COMMENTS: "I thought it was a hard-fought game which is a typical Hope-Calvin game," said head coach Bill Sall. "I think they (Hope) took us out of what we wanted to do offensively for a lot of the game and their guards were very good on offense. They were very physical with us which ended up hurting us and I give them credit. Quite frankly, I also thought we panicked a little in the second half and took some shots we probably shouldn't have. It's a disappointing one and I'm thankful we get a chance to play them again this season."
UP NEXT: The Knights will host Adrian on Saturday January 15 at Van Noord Arena with tipoff set for 5:30 p.m.
