ADRIAN, Mich. – The third-ranked Calvin University men's basketball team was able to grind out a win on the road at Adrian by the final score of 71-65 on Wednesday.
 
Calvin (13-1, 3-0 MIAA) trailed for much of the first half, but a pair of free throws from Jordan Scott (Plymouth, Mich./Plymouth Christian Academy) in the final minute tied the score at 28-28 heading into the half.
 
The Knights held Adrian (3-11, 1-2 MIAA) to 30.8 percent shooting from the field in the first 20 minutes, but the Bulldogs forced eight Calvin turnovers and got a big boost off the bench with 16 points to keep the game tied at the break.
 
Calvin jumped in front early in the second half with six straight points to take a 34-28 lead, but the Bulldogs continued hang around and took the lead back with a three-pointer with 7:55 remaining to take a 48-46 advantage.
 
The Knights jumped back in front with a pair of baskets inside from Owen Varnado (Muskegon, Mich./Western Michigan Christian), and Trevin Winkle (McBain, Mich./Northern Michigan Christian) capped an 11-2 run with a three-pointer with 4:45 to play to push the Calvin lead to 57-50.
 
The Bulldogs continued to battle and even cut their deficit to two (67-65) with 17 seconds left, but Luka Ressler (Caledonia, Mich./Catholic Central) closed the game with four straight free throws down the stretch to secure the Calvin win.
 
While Adrian finished with a 27-12 advantage from beyond the three-point arc thanks to 9-25 shooting from distance, Calvin's advantage came down low as it out-scored the Bulldogs 38-16 in the paint and out-rebounded Adrian 46-25 for the game.
 
Jalen Overway (Holland, Mich./Holland Christian) led the Knights with 19 points and tied his career high with 16 rebounds on the way to his eighth double-double of the season.
 
Scott finished with 11 points off the bench and added a career-best six assists, while Uchenna Egekeze (Huntley, Ill./Huntley) finished with 10 points.
 
NEXT UP: Calvin returns to action on Saturday, January 13, when it travels to Olivet for a game scheduled to tip off at 3:00 PM.