Calvin University

MILWAUKEE, Wis. - The Calvin women's basketball team overcome a tough start to top Wisconsin Lutheran College (WLC) 65-57 on Friday night.

Calvin struggled offensively to start the game, falling behind 18-8 after the first quarter and trailing by as many as 14 points in the second quarter before heading into the half with a 33-24 deficit.

The Knights roared out of the locker room to start the third quarter, however, erasing the deficit and building a 44-37 advantage with a 20-4 run over the first 7:15 seconds of the period. 

Leah Harris (Frisco, Texas/Lone Star) was the driving force behind the third-quarter run, scoring 16 of the Knights' 20 points and helping them take a 47-45 lead into the fourth quarter.

The teams went back and forth in the final period with four ties and four lead changes. Trailing 55-53 with just over three minutes to play, Harris tied the game at 55-55 with a driving lay-up, and then followed an Allie Mayes' (East Lansing, Mich./East Lansing) layup that gave the Knights the lead with a jumper that put the Knights ahead 59-55. 

Following another Calvin stop, Gabby Timmer (Caledonia, Mich./South Christian) scored in the paint with just over a minute remaining to push the lead to six, and the Knights followed by closing the game at the free throw line to secure the win.

Calvin finished the game on a 12-2 run over the final 3:15, holding the Warriors without a field goal during that stretch.

After shooting just 20.0 percent from the field in the first quarter, Calvin shot 55.6 percent in the third quarter and 63.6 percent in the fourth quarter to close the game shooting 46.3 percent from the field. 

Defensively, the Knights held the Warriors to 34.6 percent overall and forced 19 WLC turnovers.

Harris finished with a game-high 22 points to go with four assists and four rebounds. Timmer added 10 points, while Sydney Cleary (Middleville, Mich./South Christian) and Sara Nealy (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Valor Christian) each scored nine points.

Calvin improved to 1-0 on the season with the win. WLC fell to 0-1 in defeat. The Warriors' home defeat was also just their 15-game home winning streak dating back to the 2020-21 season.

COACH'S COMMENT: "Gritty win for our group against Wisconsin Lutheran," Calvin head women's basketball coach Mark Christner said. " I really liked how we keep digging. First games are about mental toughness and resiliency and our group answered that tonight. It's important to rest and prep for a dangrous team tomorrow."

"What a great day to be a Knight," Christner added following a big day that included NCAA Tournament wins by the Calvin men's soccer, women's soccer and volleyball teams, as well as the men's basketball team's upset win over third-ranked UW-Oshkosh.. "Congrats to all my colleagues who won big games today!"

NEXT UP: Calvin women's basketball will return to action tomorrow (Saturday, November 12) when they play Bethany Lutheran at WLC. Game time is scheduled for 1:00 PM.