ALBION, Mich. – The 20th-ranked Calvin University men's basketball team clinched the outright MIAA regular season championship with a 74-47 win at Albion College on Wednesday night.
 
Calvin (18-6, 13-0 MIAA) never trailed in the game and led by at least 10 points for the final 25 minutes as the Knights executed well on both ends of the floor throughout.
 
The Knights scored the first points of the game in the second minute and slowly built the lead throughout the first half on the way to a 30-19 halftime advantage.
 
Owen Varnado (Muskegon, Mich./Western Michigan Christian) led the offensive charge with 11 points in the opening 20 minutes as Calvin scored 26 of its 30 points inside the paint.
 
On the defensive end, the Knights held Albion (10-14, 5-8 MIAA) to 25.9 percent and forced seven first half turnovers on the way to the lead at the midway point.
 
The Knights created more distance out of the locker room as they started the second half with an 11-0 run that pushed the lead to 22 points at 41-19 and cruised the rest of the way as the Britons were never able to cut the deficit inside of 15 points.
 
Four Calvin players finished in double figures in the scoring column, with Varnado leading the way with 18 points. Trevin Winkle (McBain, Mich./Northern Michigan Christian) added 13 points and nine rebounds, while Uchenna Egekeze (Huntley, Ill./Huntley) and Luka Ressler (Caleonia, Mich./Catholic Central) each finished with 11 points.
 
On defense, Calvin held the Britons to 29.6 percent shooting and 14.3 percent from three-point range. The Knights also forced 14 turnovers and converted those miscues into 26 points on the offensive end.
 
The win pushed the Knights' winning streak to 17 dating back to December 7. 
 
COACH'S COMMENT: "Really great defensive effort tonight," Calvin head men's basketball coach Bill Sall said. "We held them under 30 percent for the game and were able to account for 26 points off their turnovers. Owen (Varnado) had a great first half and set the tone for us. Great game by Luka Ressler, who was able to hit some shots and played a complete game with four assists and three steals. Big game at home against Trine on Saturday to finish off the regular season."
 
NEXT UP: Calvin men's basketball will return to action on Saturday, February 22, when it closes the regular season with a match-up against ninth-ranked Trine University at Van Noord Arena at 3:00 PM.