KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Calvin University men's basketball team continued its strong start to MIAA play with a 67-56 road win at Kalamazoo College on Saturday.
 
Both teams struggled on the offensive end to start the game, with Calvin (7-6, 2-0 MIAA) shooting 35.3 percent in the opening half while holding Kalamazoo (7-6, 0-2 MIAA) to 25.9 percent.
 
The Knights missed their first 11 attempts from beyond the three-point arc, but Ty Horky (Manchester, Mich./Manchester/Kalamazoo College) made one from distance right before the break to send Calvin into halftime with a 27-25 edge.
 
Calvin opened the half with a 9-0 run to push its lead to 11, but the Hornets answered with a 9-0 run of their own to keep the Knights from running away.
 
The Hornets continued to hang within single digits for much of the second half, but junior forward Owen Varnado (Muskegon, Mich./Western Michigan Christian) proved too much for the Kalamazoo defense over the final 20 minutes.
 
After battling foul trouble in the first half, Varnado exploded for 18 second-half points, shooting 6-8 from the field and making all three of his attempts from beyond the arc. Luka Ressler (Caledonia, Mich./Catholic Central) also came through with several big plays in the second half and scored seven points and added two steals after halftime to help the Knights close out the win.
 
While the Calvin offense pushed its field goal percentage to 44.1 percent in the second half, the defense continued its strong play from the start and held the Hornets to 33.3 percent in the second half and 30.0 percent for the game, including 15.0 percent (3-20) from downtown.
 
Varnado led all players with 24 points and added 10 rebounds and two steals. Horky added 12 points off the bench, while Trevin Winkle (McBain, Mich./Northern Michigan Christian) finished with 10 points.
 
The win was the Knights' sixth in a row on the season, dating back to the first week of December.
 
COACH'S COMMENT: "Good road win in the MIAA," Calvin head men's basketball coach Bill Sall said. "We had to battle through a tough shooting night and some foul trouble. Owen Varnado had a great game and really helped us in the second half. Credit to Kalamazoo. They played extremely hard and have a solid team."
 
NEXT UP: Calvin men's basketball returns to action on Wednesday, January 15, when it hosts Adrian College in a game scheduled to tip off at 7:30 PM at Van Noord Arena.