VIENNA, West Virginia - Today the Calvin women's basketball team traveled to West Virginia to take on host school Marietta on the first day of the Marietta Classic.
 
The Pioneers put on the pressure right out of the gate as they started the game by going on a 7-0 run. Calvin got their first points of the game three minutes in when senior Allie Mayes (East Lansing, Mich./East Lansing) found Katelyn LaRue (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) down low for a layup in traffic. 
 
After that the Knights went on a bit of a run of their own before a three-pointer from Anna Fernandez (Plymouth, Mich./Plymouth Christian Academy) tied the game at 7-7. A few possessions later Fernandez hit another shot from behind the arc to give the Knights their first lead of the game. Both teams continued to string together good offensive opportunities and at the end of the first quarter the score was even at 14-14.
 
In the second quarter, both teams locked in on defense as they worked to contain the opposing offense. Each team was only able to produce six points apiece and the score was deadlocked at 20-20 heading into halftime.
 
As the second half got underway the Knights picked up steam on offense as LaRue and Fernadez hit three-pointers on back-to-back possessions. Senior Valerie Dirkse (Vienna, Va./Marshall) and sophomore Chloe Wiegers (Lake Orion, Mich./Lake Orion) both sank key free throws as Calvin ended the third quarter trailing the Pioneers by four points.
 
In the fourth quarter, despite sophomore Hannah Sall (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) converting on back-to-back possessions to start, the Pioneers offense caught fire. The overwhelmed the Calvin defense systems and eventually pulled away to pick up the 57-44 win over the Knights.
 
Fernandez led the way for Calvin offensively with 12 points while LaRue finished the night with 10 points. Hannah Sall ended the game with 8 points while Dirkse, Wiegers, and Lydia Sall (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) each chipped in 4 points. 
 
On the defensive end of the floor, Dirkse tied her career-high with five blocks while Hannah Sall picked up two blocks.
 
COACHES COMMENTS: "Congrats to Marietta," said head coach Mark Christner, "they finished the game with energy that we had a difficult time matching. Tough finish for us. We need to find a way to play a complete game. On to tomorrow."
 
UP NEXT: The Knights will be back in action tomorrow afternoon when they take on Mount Union on day two of the Marietta Classic. Tipoff is set for 12:30 PM.