GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Today the Calvin women's basketball team emerged victorious against the Alma Scots when it welcomed them to Van Noord Arena for an MIAA showdown. Calvin came out victorious 73-66.

After today's contest Calvin improved to a 5-4 overall record and a 2-2 MIAA while Alma fell to a 6-5 overall record and a 2-2 MIAA record.

The Knights set the tone early as Sami DeKuiper (Rockford, Mich./Rockford) opened the game with a deep three-pointer. When Alma brought the ball up the floor for its first possession it was denied by Valerie Dirkse (Vienna, Va./Marshall) as she recorded her first block of the game. Calvin then proceeded to go on a 13-0 run and assert its dominance on both ends of the floor. With three minutes left in the quarter the Scots found themselves in the bonus and took advantage of their free throw opportunities to make it a five-point game after the first ten minutes.

In the second quarter, the Knights continued to flow and share the wealth on offense as seven different players got in the scoring column. Going into the half Calvin led the Scots 38-31 while holding Alma to a 25 percent shooting percentage. The Knights also recorded nine blocks with freshman Hannah Sall (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) being responsible for five of them while Dirkse and Lauren Vanderstelt (Plainwell, Mich./Plainwell) having two apiece.

As the second half got underway the Knights looked to extend on their lead. Sophomore forward RyAnn Rohrer (Ludington, Mich./Ludington) came alive as she scored eight points and helped boost Calvin to a thirteen-point lead at the end of the third quarter. 

In the fourth quarter, Alma started to close the gap and with two minutes left on the clock it was just a three-point game. However, thanks to a timely jumper by Rohrer and some clutch free throws by Emma Witte (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) down the stretch the Knights walked away with the 73-66 win.

On defense, Calvin held Alma to a 32.9 shooting percentage while recording 11 blocks and forcing 12 turnovers. On the other end of the floor the Knights finished with a 45.6 shooting percentage and 34 points in the paint.

Witte led the way for Calvin with 16 points while Rohrer wasn't far behind with 14 points. DeKuiper and Sall both contributed 12 points while Dirkse and Allie Mayes (East Lansing, Mich./East Lansing) each had 6 points. Anna Fernandez (Plymouth, Mich./Plymouth Christian Academy) and Sophie Sensenig (Grayslake, Ill./Westlake Christian) rounded out the scoring for the Knights with 5 points and 2 points respectively.

COACHES COMMENT: "We had a great start today and with these games a start really matters," said head coach Mark Christner. "I think we got Alma on their heels a bit early on but we give them a lot of credit as we know that they are a really solid squad. I was impressed with our group and our ability to execute as well as make free throws down the stretch. We haven't been in a lot of close games this year so it was really good for our group to have to go through that and feel the heat a bit. Overall, a really good win for us."

UP NEXT: Calvin will be back in action on December 19th when they play their first game of the Trine Classic against Asbury (Ky.) at 5 PM.