WILMINGTON, Ohio – The Calvin University men's basketball team finished the 2024 portion of its schedule with an 84-61 road win at Wilmington College on Saturday.
 
Calvin (4-6) never trailed and led by at least eight points for the final 29 minutes, but had to fight off a tough Wilmington (2-8) effort until the final 10 minutes when the Knights put the game away.
 
Trevin Winkle (McBain, Mich./Northern Michigan Christian) helped the Knights take control in the first half with an 8-0 personal run that pushed Calvin to an 18-9 lead. Winkle made back-to-back three-pointers to start the run, and then added a turnaround jumper from the elbow to extend the lead to nine with just under 12 minutes remaining in the first half.
 
The Knights led by as many as 17 in the opening half, but the Quakers cut the deficit to 11 (41-30) heading into halftime with a 9-3 run over the final minutes. Uchenna Egekeze (Huntley, Ill./Huntley) led Calvin with 14 first-half points, followed by Winkle with 13.
 
Calvin continued to remain in control throughout the second half, but struggles from the free throw line allowed Wilmington to hang within striking distance over the first 10 minutes.
 
Leading 58-49 with nine minutes to play, the Knights put the game away with a 22-7 run over the next seven minutes as they held the Quakers to only two field goals during that stretch on the way to securing the win.
 
Calvin shot the ball well from the field (50.0 percent) and from beyond the three-point arc (39.1 percent). The Knights also took good care of the ball and finished with only six turnovers to help overcome a 19-36 effort from the charity stripe.
 
On the defensive end, Calvin limited the Quakers to 32.2 percent shooting overall and 19.0 percent from beyond the three-point line. The Knights also forced 13 turnovers that turned into 17 points on the other end.
 
Egekeze finished with a game-high 23 points to lead the Knights and moved into 15th place in program history with 1,326 career points. He also grabbed eight rebounds and added four steals.
 
Winkle set a new career high with 19 points and made seven of his eight attempts from the field (including three of four from distance). Owen Varnado (Muskegon, Mich./Western Michigan Christian) added 13 points and eight rebounds, while Trip Riemersma (Holland, Mich./Zeeland East/Saginaw Valley State University) chipped in 10 points off the bench.
 
COACH'S COMMENT: "Really good road win to close out December," said Calvin head men's basketball coach Bill Sall. "We kept grinding in this game and had a few too many missed opportunities from the free throw line. Trevin Winkle had an outstanding game - maybe the best of his career here. And Trip Riemersma answered the bell in the second half with some clutch threes. Uchenna was his normal, consistent self. Overall a really good team win and we're excited to get the team back for the start of the new year."
 
NEXT UP: Calvin men's basketball will return to action in the new year, when it hosts St. Norbert College on January 4 at 5:00 PM.