GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Calvin University women's basketball team advanced to the MIAA Tournament semifinals with a 75-61 win over Adrian College on Tuesday night at Van Noord Arena.
 
Calvin (16-10) took over the game with a big second quarter and got significant contributions from both the starting line-up and the bench in the win.
 
The two teams ended the first quarter in a 15-15 tie, but the Knights took control with a dominant second quarter in which they outscored Adrian (7-19) 29-10 to take a 44-25 lead into halftime. Defense led the way in that second quarter run, holding the Bulldogs to 33.3 percent shooting and forcing seven turnovers while the offense shot 56.3 percent overall and made four of six attempts from beyond the three-point arc.
 
Jamie Custer (Galena, Ohio/Worthington Christian) scored nine points for the Knights off the bench in the second quarter on 3-4 shooting from beyond the arc, while Anna Fernandez (Plymouth, Mich./Plymouth Christian Academy) scored eight of her 10 first half points in the period to help the Knights take control.
 
Adrian hung around throughout the second half and made a run in the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to nine inside of the final two minutes, but the Knights made timely baskets to stay in front and then knocked down their free throws down the stretch to secure the win and advance to the next round.
 
With starters Katelyn LaRue (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) and Hannah Sall (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) battling foul trouble much of the night, the Calvin bench stepped up in a big way in the win. Custer and Sophie Sensenig (Grayslake, Ill./Westlake Christian) combined for 24 points while the Knights' reserve unit outscored the Adrian bench 30-0 for the game.
 
Custer finished with a career-high 13 points, with her four points in the second half coming on a big four-point play in the final seconds of the third quarter to push the Knights back on top by 19 points (60-41) heading into the fourth quarter.
 
Sensenig finished with 11 points, seven of which came in a strong fourth quarter that included a three-pointer with under seven minutes to play that pushed the lead back up to 64-48, and then a putback following an offensive rebound that put the Calvin lead back into double figures at 68-57 with two minutes left after the Bulldogs cut the lead to nine points.
 
Fernandez led the Knights with 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds. LaRue and Chloe Wiegers (Lake Orion, Mich./Lake Orion) each scored 10 points. Valerie Dirkse (Vienna, Va./Marshall) led the Knights' defensive effort with nine rebounds and five blocks.
 
COACH'S COMMENT: "I thought we played really well," Calvin head women's basketball coach Mark Christner said. "I thought Adrian came back and pushed a little bit there in the fourth quarter, but I thought our group had some good composure. We got some really nice play off our bench. We generally took good care of the ball. We had a really great second quarter – defensively in particular – and sometimes that's really all you need to separate."
 
NEXT UP: Calvin women's basketball will return to action on Friday, February 28, when it takes on second-seed Hope College in the MIAA Tournament semifinal hosted by Trine University. The game is scheduled to tip off at 5:30 PM.