GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Today the Calvin women's basketball team emerged victorious in an 80-47 win over the Hornets of Kalamazoo.
After today's game the Knights moved to 17-7 overall with an 11-4 MIAA record while Kalamazoo is now 4-19 overall and 1-13 in the MIAA.
As the game got underway the Knights wasted no time asserting their dominance in the paint as post players RyAnn Rohrer (Ludington, Mich./Ludington) and Valerie Dirkse (Vienna, Va./Marshall) combined for Calvin's first 11 points. Sophomore Lauren Vanderstelt (Plainwell, Mich./Plainwell) continues to prove that she is a threat off the bench as she entered the game and picked up six points in the first quarter. On defense, the Knights held Kalamazoo to just a 23.5 shooting percentage and allowed Calvin the 24-11 lead after the first ten minutes of play.
While the Hornets did seem to find more success on offense in the second quarter, Calvin continued to remain strong in their scoring endeavors. Katelyn LaRue (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) got in on the scoring action as she took advantage of her quickness and she drove past her defender for a layup on two separate occasions. Vanderstelt picked up where she left off in the first quarter and buried two three-pointers in the second while Chloe Wiegers (Lake Orion, Mich./Lake Orion) also picked up her first points of the game after sinking some free throws.
By the end of the first half the Knights had posted a 48.5 shooting percentage while also shooting 40.0 percent from behind the three point line. On the defensive end, the Knights had forced seven turnovers while Vanderstelt, Hannah Sall (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) and Lydia Sall (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) all had two blocks apiece.
The Knights started the third quarter with a 43-22 lead and only continued to show their dominance as the game progressed. Two minutes in, sophomore guard Sami DeKuiper (Rockford, Mich./Rockford) got the ball on the right wing and knocked down a three for her first points of the game. At the end of the quarter, as time wound down, Rohrer powered through contact for a layup and then converted the free throw to give Calvin the 65-34 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth, several Knights were able to see the court and get in on the scoring action. Lydia Sall started the scoring when she weaved through three Hornet defenders for a layup before recording an assist on the next possession when she found Grace Rosser (Allendale, Mich./Allendale) cutting to the basket. With just under a minute to go the Knights put an exclamation point on their lead as Emma Minderhoud (Grand Rapids, Mich./Covenant Christian) knocked down a three from the left wing and Calvin walked away with the 80-47 win.
The Knights finished the game with a 48.4 shooting percentage while holding Kalamazoo to just a 29.6 shooting percentage. They outscored the Hornets in the paint 44-20 and by the end of the game everyone on Calvin's roster had gotten into the game.
Rohrer was the leading scorer for Calvin with 16 points while Vanderstelt finished with 12 points and three blocks. Hannah Sall had 10 points and three blocks while Dirkse finished with 8 points. Fernandez, LaRue, and Wiegers all chipped in 6 points apiece. Fernandez also recorded five assists during today's matchup.
COACHES COMMENTS: "We know that Kalamazoo has been playing very well lately," said head coach Mark Christner, "IÂ thought we came out and had a really nice effort against them tonight. Looking ahead, we want to try and improve this week defensively and our communication needs to continue to grow. This is the time when we want to be playing our best and peaking so today was a good step in that direction for us."
UP NEXT: The Knights will be back in action on Saturday, February 17th when they welcome Olivet for their final game of the regular season. Tipoff is set for 3PM.
