MARIETTA, Ohio - Today the Calvin women's basketball team competed in day two of the Marietta Classic where they took on the Purple Raiders of Mount Union.
 
The Knights got out to a quick start as junior Anna Fernandez (Plymouth, Mich./Plymouth Christian Academy) scored Calvin's first points of the game when she converted from beyond the arc. Sophomore Katelyn LaRue (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) also powered through traffic for layups on the next two possessions to extend the Knights lead. Hannah Sall (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) got in on the scoring action before Fernandez really found her groove and hit three consecutive three-pointers to give Calvin a 22-9 lead at the break.
 
In the second quarter, Mount Union worked to dig themselves out of the hole as they started clicking on offense. However, LaRue hit some threes of her own and Chloe Wiegers (Lake Orion, Mich./Lake Orion) got in on the scoring action as Calvin headed into halftime with a ten-point lead over the Raiders.
 
As the second half got underway the Knights continued to carry the momentum as Hannah Sall made a block on the defensive side of the ball. Senior Valerie Dirkse (Vienna, Va./Vienna) took advantage and made a layup of the other end of the floor to extend the Calvin lead. Senior Allie Mayes (East Lansing, Mich./East Lansing) made some contribution on the offensive end for the Knights as Fernandez continued to make the Raiders defense pay when leaving her open behind the three-point line.
 
In the fourth quarter, Calvin continued to score at will while also shutting down Mount Union whenever they tried to get momentum on offense. When the final buzzer sounded, the Knights picked up the 60-51 victory.
 
As a team, the Knights posted a 44.6 shooting percentage while holding the Raiders to just a 30.8 shooting percentage. Calvin also posted an impressive 50.0 shooting percentage from behind the arc with Fernandez going 6-9 and LaRue going 2-5.
 
Fernandez finished the afternoon with a team high 24 points while LaRue pitched in 16 points. Dirkse finished with 10 points, two blocks and a career high 17 rebounds. Hannah Sall finished the game with five blocks and five assists.
 
Fernandez and LaRue were both named to the Marietta Classic All-Tournament team.
 
COACHES COMMENTS: "This was a classic Calvin win today," said head coach Mark Christner. "Our defense was outstanding; we passed the ball well and created awesome shots for each other. Now we need to get ready for the MIAA season."
 
UP NEXT: The Knights will be back in action when they travle to Angola, Indiana to open up MIAA play against Trine on Wednesday, December 4th. Tipoff is set for 7:30PM.