ALBION, Mich. - Tonight the Calvin women's basketball team traveled to Albion for its final road game of the season where it fell to the Brits 67-41.
After tonight the Knights moved to 16-7 overall with a 10-4 MIAA record while Albion improved to 15-8 overall and 9-5 in the MIAA. Calvin falls into third place in the MIAA standings, a half-game behind Trine which is now 10-3 in league play.
In the first quarter sophomore Anna Fernandez (Plymouth, Mich./Plymouth Christian Academy) came out hot, converting on a layup and nailing a three-pointer from the wing. However, the rest of the Knights struggled on offense and with Calvin posting a 33.3 shooting percentage and the Brits shooting 50 percent, Albion maintained a 17-11 lead after the first ten minutes.
As the second quarter got underway the Brits defense continued to make things difficult for Calvin. Sophomore RyAnn Rohrer (Ludington, Mich./Ludington) came alive and looked to give the Knights some energy as she knocked down a shot from the elbow and later fought through contact to convert a layup. However, Albion's lockdown man-to-man defense kept the rest of the Knights at bay and the Brits went into halftime leading 32-15.
In the third quarter Rohrer continued to stay hot as she scored for the Knights on three straight possessions. With just under three minutes left in the quarter Sami DeKuiper (Rockford, Mich./Rockford) hit Lydia Sall (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) on the pick-and-roll. Despite Fernandez and Hannah Sall (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) also getting in on the scoring this quarter Albion continued to keep the pressure on as they went 7-16 from the floor and built on their lead.
Calvin opened up the fourth by finding Katleyn LaRue (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) on a backdoor cut for the first points of the quarter. Shortly after, Chloe Wiegers (Lake Orion, Mich./Lake Orion) scored her first points of the night as she knocked down two free throws and junior Sophie Sensenig (Grayslake, Ill./Westlake Christian) knocked down a jumper. Unfortunately for the Knights, Albion continued to have a standout night on offense and never let Calvin get within striking distance as it walked away with the 67-41 win.
The Brits held Calvin to a 31.6 shooting percentage while posting a 46.3 shooting percentage of their own. On defense, Albion swarmed the Knights and forced 17 turnovers and outrebounded Calvin 42-30.
Fernandez finished the evening as the Knights leading scorer with 13 points while Rohrer finished with 12 points. Valerie Dirkse (Vienna, Va./Marshall) and Lauren Vanderstelt (Plainwell, Mich./Plainwell) each had a basket apiece.
COACHES COMMENT: "All credit to Albion," said head coach Mark Christner. "They played really well. Repulsed our push in the third quarter and we never found our groove in this game. We'll get back to work tomorrow for a crucial game Saturday."
UP NEXT: The Knights will be back in action on Saturday, February 10th when they welcome Kalamazoo for a 3PM tipoff.
