TIFFIN, Ohio – The ninth-ranked Calvin University men's basketball team dropped the Heidelberg Invite finale to the hosts from Heidelberg University by a final of 85-78 on Saturday.
 
Calvin (0-4) started strong, using a 20-4 run early in the first half to take a 13-point lead at the midway point of the half at 25-12, but Heidelberg (2-2) had an answer and finished the first half on an 18-5 run to take a 44-38 lead into halftime.
 
The Knights got 12 first-half points from Owen Varnado (Muskegon, Mich./Western Michigan Christian), while Daane Harvey (Ada, Mich./Forest Hills Eastern) chipped in six points off the bench.
 
The Berg continued its momentum into the second half, pushing their lead into double figures early while the Knights battled to stay within striking distance.
 
Calvin's effort was rewarded as it chipped away at the deficit throughout the second half, cutting the Heidelberg advantage to six (72-66) on a Ty Horky (Manchester, Mich./Manchester) three-pointer with just over seven minutes remaining.
 
The Knights continued to fight as the teams headed down the stretch and cut the deficit to three points at 80-77 on a Uchenna Egekeze (Huntley, Ill./Huntley) free throw with 1:46 to play, but Heidelberg was able to hang on down the stretch for the seven-point win.
 
Heidelberg shot 51.9 percent from the field for the game and made five of its nine attempts from beyond the three-point line (including all four attempts in the second half). Calvin shot 47.4 percent overall and went 10-28 (35.7 percent) from distance but was outscored 24-14 at the free throw line for the game.
 
Varnado finished with a team-high 14 points to lead four Knights in double figures. Egekeze and Harvey each finished with 11 points, while Luka Ressler (Caledonia, Mich./Catholic Central) scored 10 points to go with four assists.
 
NEXT UP: Calvin men's basketball will return to action on Friday, November 22, on day one of the Great Lakes Invitational, which the Knights will host at Van Noord Arena. Calvin will host eighth-ranked Emory University on Friday at 7:30 PM, followed by a game on Saturday against 12th-ranked Saint John's University (Minn.) as part of the two-day, eight-team event.