CHICAGO - The Calvin University men's basketball team improved to 4-0 on the season with a 65-62 win at Illinois Tech on Wednesday.

The Knights had to battle to hold off the Scarlet Hawks down the stretch, but strong starts to both halves proved the difference in the win.

Calvin opened the game with a 10-2 run over the first four minutes of play with Jalen Overway (Holland, Mich./Holland Christian) and Uchenna Egekeze (Huntley, Ill./Huntley) each scoring four points in the early run to set the tone.

The Scarlet Hawks remained within striking distance the rest of the half, but Egekeze finished the first 20 minutes with 14 points, and Owen Varnado (Muskegon, Mich./Western Michigan Christian) capped the half with a tip-dunk at the buzzer to send the Knights into halftime with a 36-28 lead.

The second half started the same way as the first, as the Knights ran off 10 of the first 12 points in the opening five minutes to push their advantage to 46-30 with just over 15 minutes to play in regulation.

Illinois Tech (1-2) fought back with full court pressure that put the Knights on their heels and cut into the lead with a 14-4 run, and continued to hang around heading into the final minutes.

Down the stretch, the Knights never trailed, but the Scarlet Hawks were able to cut the game within one possession in the final seconds. After a pair of missed free throws, Illinois Tech had one final possession to possibly tie the game, but the Knights' defense did not allow an attempt at the rim to secure the win.

Calvin shot 50.0 percent from the field for the game, but struggled at times from beyond the three-point arc (4-14) and the free throw line (9-17). The defense picked up the slack, however, holding Illinois Tech to 40.8 percent shooting overall.

The Knights did much of their damage in the paint offensively, as Overway finished with 20 points and Calvin out-scored the Scarlet Hawks 40-16 in the paint for the game. Egekeze added 16 points, while Varnado finished with 12 off the bench. Overway and Egekeze each grabbed nine rebounds in the win, helping Calvin win the rebounding battle 36-26.

COACH'S COMMENT: "Gritty win on the road," Calvin men's basketball head coach Bill Sall said. "I told the guys before the game that winning on the road is really hard. I thought we fought through adversity and continued to play hard. Great to have Uchenna (Egekeze) back.We don't win this game without him. Jalen was very good down the stretch, and Owen had a very good secone half. We had seven guys who experienced their first road game. Tons of things to work on, but always better to do after a win!"

NEXT UP: Calvin men's basketball is off for the rest of the week, and will return home for a game on Tuesday, November 22, against Hiram. That game is scheduled to start at 7:30 PM.