ADRIAN, Mich. - Tonight the Calvin women's basketball team traveled to Adrian where they defeated the host Bulldogs 51-47 in an MIAA showdown.
After tonight's game the Knights improved to a 9-5 overall record and a 3-2 MIAA record. The Bulldogs fell to a 7-5 and a 2-2 MIAA record.
In the first quarter the teams proved to be very evenly matched as they traded buckets on both ends of the floor. After the first ten minutes the Knights held a slight edge with a 13-12 lead. In the second quarter the Bulldogs locked in on defense while going on a 5-0 scoring run. With four minutes left in the half the Knights scored their first points of the quarter as freshman Hannah Sall (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) drove into the lane and connected on a layup.
At the end of the half the Knights trailed 22-20 to the Bulldogs. Calvin spread out its scoring amongst several players with Emma Witte (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian), RyAnn Rohrer (Ludington, Mich./Ludington), Katelyn LaRue (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) and Sall all having four points. On defense, Sall recorded three first half blocks while Valerie Dirkse (Vienna, Va./Marshall) tallied one.
In the third quarter the Knights really seemed to hit their stride on offense as they outscored Adrian 22-12. They recorded a 50.0 shooting percent while going 3-5 from behind the arc as they took a 42-34 lead.
In the fourth the Bulldogs worked to dig themselves out of the hole Calvin had put them in. However, sophomore Sami DeKuiper (Rockford, Mich./Rockford) caught fire in the second half and propelled the Knights out of reach from Adrian. Calvin walked away with the 51-47 victory which marked its fourth in a row - marking its longest win streak of the season.
DeKuiper led the team with a career high 14 points and went 4-6 from three point range. Rohrer finished up with 10 points and Sall had 9 points. On defense, the Knights recorded 11 blocks, tying their team season high for blocked shots in a game. Sall set a career high as she was responsible for 6 of the blocks while Dirkse had four and Sophie Sensenig (Grayslake, Ill./Westlake Christian) had one.
COACHES COMMENT: "Solid win for our team tonight versus a much improved Adrian team," said head coach Mark Christner. "Each game is so different and for a young group learning how to win, this road win in the league is really important. I am impressed with our mental growth as a group. Winning is hard. We'll continue to improve."
UP NEXT: The Knights will be back in action on Saturday, January 6 when they travel to Kalamazoo for a 1 p.m. tipoff.
