GRANVILLE, Ohio – The 12th-ranked Calvin University men's basketball team opened the season with 61-59 defeat at Denison University on Friday night.
The teams traded blows early in the game with Calvin (0-1) taking a 15-14 lead with 12:32 to play in the opening half on a
Trevin Winkle (McBain, Mich./Northern Michigan Christian) three-pointer, but went the next eight minutes without a field goal as Denison (1-0) used a 10-3 run to take a 24-18 lead before
Jalen Overway (Holland, Mich./Holland Christian) got the Knights back on track with a basket at the 4:23 mark.
The Big Red led by as many as eight points in the first half, but Calvin ended the half with an Overway lay-up in the final seconds to head into halftime with Denison leading 34-31.
Overway, returning after he missed last season due to injury, missed his first three shots to start the game but quickly settled in and finished the half with 16 points on 7-14 shooting to lead the Knights.
The second half opened with runs by both teams. The Knights wrestled away the lead (36-34) with an Overway three-pointer at the 18:55 mark. After a 6-0 Denison run to give the Big Red a 40-36 lead, Calvin answered with a 9-0 run of their own to take a 45-40 edge with 12:51 to play. Denison would respond, however, with seven unanswered points, and the teams traded the lead back and forth until the Big Red took the lead for the final time at 57-55 with 3:05 to play.
Trailing by four in the final minutes, the Knights got baskets from Winkle and
Jordan Scott (Plymouth, Mich./Plymouth Christian Academy) to keep it a one-possession game heading into the final minute. After a Calvin defensive stop with 20 seconds remaining, the Knights had two opportunities in the final five seconds to tie or take the lead but could not convert either opportunity as the Big Red hung on for the win.
Overway finished the game 13-24 from the field for a game-high 29 points to go with eight rebounds. Winkle joined him in double figures with 12 points to go with six rebounds and five assists.
Luka Ressler (Caledonia, Mich./Catholic Central) added five assists and six rebounds.
The five Calvin starters accounted for all 59 points in the game. The Knights shot 45.5 percent from the field and held the Big Red to 35.2 percent, but Denison secured 18 offensive rebounds and outscored the Knights 14-8 in second-chance points.
NEXT UP: Calvin men's basketball will return to action tomorrow (Saturday, November 8, when it travels to Ohio Wesleyan University for a game scheduled to tip off at 5:00 PM.
