GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - After dropping its last two games the Calvin women's basketball team bounced back with a commanding 82-41 victory on the road against the Comets of Olivet. Thanks to tonight's high-powered offense the Knights improved to a 10-9 overall record and a 5-5 MIAA record while the Comets moved to 0-9i n the MIAA and 2-16 overall.
 
The Knights got out to a strong start as junior Katelyn LaRue (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) got things started with a baseline three-pointer. LaRue went on to rack up seven points in the first quarter while fellow junior Lydia Sall (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) chipped in four points as Calvin outscored Olivet 15-10.
 
In the second quarter, Calvin found its offensive groove as it outscored Olivet 26-8 to take a commanding 23-point lead heading into halftime. Senior Anna Fernandez (Plymouth, Mich./Plymouth Christian Academy) led the way in the first as she notched fourteen points while sophomore Gabby Halliwill (Charlotte, Mich./Lansing Catholic) and senior Emma Witte (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) both got on the board in the second quarter. Defensively, the Knights held Olivet to just a 30.4 shooting percentage with Sall recording two blocks and junior Ashley Raredon (Caledonia, Mich./South Christian) recording one.
 
Calvin kept the pressure on the Comets in the second half as it continued to score at will and stretch the lead. After a quiet first half, junior RyAnn Rohrer (Ludington, Mich./Ludington) got rolling when she nailed back-to-back mid-range jumpers to start the third quarter before following that up with a block on the defensive end of the floor. 
 
In the fourth quarter, the Knights saw some good production from the bench as freshman Lily Nitz (Caledonia, Mich./South Christian) had five points and Lindsay Minderhoud (Grand Rapids, Mich./Covenant Christian) and Adelynn Nyhof (Holland, Mich./Holland Christian) each had three. Freshman Makara Obande (Hudsonville, Mich./Unity Christian) and sophomore Lauren VanSumeren (Midland, Mich./Midland Dow) both chipped in a bucket as Calvin cruised to a dominant 82-41 victory.
 
Calvin outscored the Comets in the paint 40-22 while also forcing Olivet into fourteen turnovers. The Knights finished shooting an impressive 45.7 percent from the field while holding the Comets to just a 30.6 shooting percentage.
 
Fernandez finished the game as the Knights leading scorer with 22 points and six rebounds while LaRue finished with 11 points. Rohrer, Sall, and Nitz all recorded eight rebounds while junior Chloe Wiegers (Lake Orion, Mich./Lake Orion) finished with a team high five assists.
 
COACHES COMMENTS: "Complete effort from our group on the road tonight," said head coach Mark Christner. "I thought we had great contributions up and down the roster tonight. Good start to get us moving in a better direction
 
UP NEXT: The Knights will be back in action on Saturday, January 31st when they welcome the Belles of Saint Mary's to Van Noord Arena for a 1 PM MIAA matchup.