STEVENS POINT, Wis. – A great start on the offensive end propelled the second-ranked Calvin University men's basketball team to an 81-70 win at UW-Stevens Point (UWSP) in the second game of a two-game road swing through the state of Wisconsin over the Christmas break.
 
The win moved Calvin to 9-0 on the season, making it the program's first 9-0 start since the 1991-92 season.
 
The Knights started strong on the offensive end, scoring on nine of their first 11 possessions (including the first four) on the way to a 21-8 lead.
 
UWSP (5-4) made a run to cut the Calvin advantage to 27-25 with under six minutes to play in the first half, but the Knights closed the half on a 15-4 run to push their lead to 42-29 at the break.
 
Uchenna Egekeze (Huntley, Ill./Huntley) scored a game-high 12 points in the first half and capped the 15-4 run with a two-handed dunk in the final seconds. Jalen Overway (Holland, Mich./Holland Christian) added 10 points and seven rebounds to help the Knights shoot 58.6 percent in the half and out-rebound the Pointers 22-8 in the first 20 minutes.
 
The Pointers picked up the defensive pressure in the second half and frustrated the Knights into 10 turnovers in the half, but Owen Varnado (Muskegon, Mich./Western Michigan Christian) scored 14 of his game-high 21 points after the break, including back-to-back three-pointers that pushed the Calvin lead to 19 (68-49) with 4:36 to play.
 
The Knights struggled at the free throw line (9-18) in the second half, but made enough down the stretch to hold off the Pointers and secure the win.
 
The Knights finished the game shooting 57.7 percent from the field and doubled up the Pointers on the glass with a 42-21 rebounding advantage. They also out-scored UWSP 40-26 in the paint and held a 14-4 advantage in second-chance points.
 
Varnado's 21 points marked a new career high for the sophomore forward, who also recorded his first career double-double with 10 rebounds.
 
Egekeze finished with 20 points on 8-9 shooting from the field and added four blocks on the defensive end, while Overway (17 points and 14 rebounds) recorded his fourth double-double of the season (and 17th of his career) in the win.
 
COACH'S COMMENT: "Great road trip! Was a battle against a well-coached team," Calvin men's basketball head coach Bill Sall said. "Very physical game, but I thought we matched their physical play. Great games by everyone, but I thought Uchenna and Owen really stepped up tonight. Plenty of things to work on, but happy to be going into break at 9-0."
 
NEXT UP: Calvin men's basketball returns home for the Christmas holiday before returning to action on Friday, December 29, for a two-day tournament hosted by Trine University. The Knights will face UW-Platteville on December 29 at 3:00 PM, followed by a game against Berry (Ga.) on December 30 at 1:00 PM.