CALVIN-ADRIAN SMUGMUG PHOTO GALLERY

GRAND RAPIDS - The 20th-ranked Calvin University women's basketball team extended its winning streak to eight with a 61-47 win over Adrian College at Van Noord Arena on Thursday night.

Calvin (16-3, 8-2 MIAA) frustrated the Bulldogs with a strong defensive performance that held the Adrian (8-11, 4-6 MIAA) offense to 29.3 percent shooting and forced 24 turnovers in the game.

The Knights took a little while to get going on the offensive end, but improved their shooting percentage in each quarter. After leading 12-10 after the first quarter, Calvin closed the second quarter on a 9-2 run to take a 27-24 edge into halftime.

While scoring was difficult for both teams in the opening half, Gabby Timmer (Caledonia, Mich./South Christian) went 5-5 from the free throw line and had a game-high nine points at the break.

The offense started to find its groove in the third quarter as Calvin shot 43.8 percent and out-scored the Bulldogs 15-11 on the way to a seven-point lead going into the fourth quarter. 

The Knights built on that lead in the final period, shooting 50.0 percent from the field as they extended their advantage into double figures on the way to the win.

Timmer led all players with 16 points to go with nine rebounds. Timmer also broke the Calvin women's basketball career rebounding record, passing Carissa Verkaik's previous mark of 1,071 in the third quarter. She now has 1,074 for her career. 

For more on Timmer breaking the program's career rebounding record, click here.

Leah Harris (Frisco, Texas/Lone Star) scored 15 points and also added six assists, while Sydney Cleary (Middleville, Mich./South Christian) battled foul trouble to join them in double figures with 10 points.

COACH'S COMMENT: "Good result for us tonight," Calvin women's basketball head coach Mark Christner said. "Every win is beautiful in its own way. I really liked our response at the half. We knew Adrian would be ready to go and they were. We needed to respond and we did. It's important for us to be together tomorrow and work towards improvement for next week's game at Alma."

NEXT UP: Calvin women's basketball returns to action on Wednesday, February 1, when it travels to Alma for a game scheduled to tip off at 5:30 PM.