ANGOLA, Ind. – The 15th-ranked Calvin University men's basketball team lost for the first time in MIAA play at Trine University by the final score of 88-68 on Wednesday.
Trine (12-4, 4-1 MIAA) led by four points at the half and then shot 72.0 percent from the field and outscored Calvin (12-4, 4-1) 56-40 in the second half to snap the Knights' 24-game MIAA winning streak dating back to the 2023-24 season.
The Knights started strong on the offensive end with four three-pointers in the opening 10:33 of the game on the way to a 20-12 lead with 6:08 to play in the first half.
Luka Ressler (Caledonia, Mich./Catholic Central) led the way with eight early points while
Jalen Overway (Holland, Mich./Holland Christian) added seven points in the first 14 minutes.
The Thunder turned the game around over the next six minutes, however, outscoring the Knights 20-8 the rest of the half to take a 32-28 lead into the break.
Turnovers were costly for the Knights early as the Thunder forced 13 first-half miscues and outscored Calvin 9-1 in points off turnovers in the half.
Calvin started the second half strong and quickly took a 34-32 lead, but the Thunder answered with another run and built a 10-point lead at 52-42 near the midway point of the half. A
Trevin Winkle (McBain, Mich./Northern Michigan Christian) three-pointer cut the Calvin deficit to seven with 10:19 remaining, but that would be as close as the Knights would get the rest of the way.
Trine pushed its lead back into double digits at 62-52 with 7:58 to play and then closed the game on a 14-4 run over the final four minutes to secure the win.
After shooting 35.5 percent in the first half, the Thunder shot 72.0 percent in the second half, including 4-8 shooting from beyond the three-point arc. The Thunder also committed only four turnovers in the half while forcing eight more Calvin miscues.
Winkle led the Knights with 18 points.
Justin McIllwain (Holland, Mich./Hamilton) added a career-high 16 points to go with five rebounds.
Overway finished with 15 points and nine rebounds, while Ressler joined them in double figures with 12 points.
NEXT UP: Calvin men's basketball will return to action on Saturday, January 24, when it travels to Hope College for the next installment of The Rivalry. That game is scheduled to tip off at 7:00 PM.
