(Photo Courtesy of Olivet Sports Information Photographer Haley Oosterhouse)

OLIVET, Mich. – Calvin closed out the first half of its MIAA campaign with a 69-56 victory at Olivet Wednesday evening, improving to 15-3 overall and 7-0 in the league.

At the midpoint of the league schedule, the Knights are one game ahead of 6-1 Trine and two games above 5-2 Hope.

Ranked 18^th nationally, Calvin used a 7-1 run late in the first half to build a 26-16 lead and eventually cruised into the halftime break with a 35-25 advantage.

Olivet (8-10 overall, 4-3 MIAA) scored six of the first eight points of the second half to close within single digits. The Comets kept contact with Calvin throughout much of the second half, creeping within three at 47-44 and later within four at 51-47.

A key basket inside by junior Uchenna Egekeze (Huntley, Il./Huntley HS) put the Knights up 53-47 and freshman Jalen Overway (Holland, Mich./Holland Christian HS) followed with a clutch triple from the top of the key to make a 56-47 Calvin lead. Moments later sophomore Daane Harvey (Ada, Mich./Forest Hills Northern HS) swished his second triple of the game to put the Knights up 62-49 and the Calvin lead remained in double-digits the rest of the way.

Overway led Calvin with 18 points and 11 rebounds to notch his 10^th double-double of the season. Junior Marcus Bult (Wheaton, Il./Wheaton Academy) tossed in 17 points to go with six rebounds while Egekeze had nine points, three assists and three steals.

Calvin's bench provided 21 with freshman Owen Varnado (Muskegon, Mich./Western Michigan Christian HS) scoring seven and Harvey six. Sophomore Logan Van Essen (Crown Point, Ind./Illiana Christian HS) had four points, hitting a key jump shot in Calvin's late first half run and another key jumper out of a timeout in the second half that put the Knights up seven.

Olivet was led in defeat by Lorris Upshaw with 11 while Derrick Johnson had 10.

Calvin shot 41.1 percent from the field and held a 34-33 rebounding edge. The Knights also enjoyed a healthy advantage at the free throw line, converting 17 of 20 (.850) at the charity stripe while Olivet was 6 of 7 (.857) at the free throw line.

COACHES COMMENT: "Great road win," said Calvin head men's basketball coach Bill Sall. "Really great to see the bench step up tonight. Great minutes by Daane Harvey Owen Varnado and Logan VanEssen. Defense was really good for 40 minutes today. Olivet gave us all we could handle. They are a very well-coached, disciplined basketball team."

NEXT UP: Calvin will host Adrian on Saturday at 3 p.m. as the Knights open up the second half of the MIAA's double round robin schedule.

MIAA MEN'S BASKETBALL STANDINGS THROUGH 1-25-23

Calvin 7-0
Trine 6-1
Hope 5-2
Olivet 4-3
Adrian 2-5
Albion 2-5
Alma 1-6
Kalamazoo 1-6