WINTER PARK, Fla. - The Calvin men's basketball team opened its two-day trip to Florida with a 75-52 win over Augsburg University at the Steve Moore Sunshine Classic on Monday.

Calvin (8-1) held an early 23-17 lead and broke the game open with a 16-0 run over the final six minutes of the first half to take a 39-17 lead into the break.

The Knights played suffocating defense throughout the opening half, holding Augsburg (2-8) to 24.2 percent shooting from the field and 14.3 percent (1-7) from beyond the three-point arc. Owen Varnado (Muskegon, Mich./Western Michigan Christian) made the most of his first career start with 11 first-half points to lead a Calvin offense that shot 56 percent from the field.

The second half proved more of the same, as the Knights showcased their depth and athleticism on both ends of the court to build the lead as high as 30 points (71-41) on the way to the win.

Calvin finished the game shooting 49.2 percent from the field while holding the Auggies to 34.4 percent. The Knights did much of their damage inside with 46 points in the paint.

Jalen Overway (Holland, Mich./Holland Christian) led the Knights with 14 points. Varnado finished with 11 points to go with six assists, three blocks and eight rebounds, while Uchenna Egekeze (Huntley, Ill./Huntley) and Matt Ambrose (Kildeer, Ill./Adlai E. Stevenson) each finished with 10. 

Egekeze also led the Knights with 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. 

COACH'S COMMENT: "It was a good defensive game for us," Calvin men's basketball head coach Bill Sall said. "We had some rust from our 15-day break, but I thought our bench played very well. It was the best game so far for Owen Varnado, and also got some great minutes from Matt Ambrose and Koby VanderWoude (Caldonia, Mich./Caledonia). We're enjoying our time in Florida, but have a big game tomorrow."

NEXT UP: Calvin men's basketball returns to action tomorrow (Tuesday, December 20) for day two (of two) at the Steve Moore Sunshine Classic. The Knights will face the winner of Monday's game between Wooster and Emerson at 1:00 PM.