EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – The Calvin University men's basketball team opened the 2026-27 season with an 88-63 loss at UW-Eau Claire on Friday.
Calvin (0-1) battled back from an early deficit to trail by only one point at the half, but UWEC (1-0) opened the second half with a big run and never looked back on the way to the win.
The Blugolds led by as many as 13 points (27-14) in the first half, but the Knights fought back over the final 10 minutes to trail by only one at 41-40 heading into the break.
Jordan Scott (Plymouth, Mich./Plymouth Christian Academy) paced Calvin with 13 points in the opening half while
Parker Swartz (Grand Rapids, Mich./Northview/Ohio Dominican University) and
Malachi Hooser II (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian/Albion College) each added 10 for the Knights, who shot 56.0 percent from the field but were outscored 12-8 from the free throw line in the half.
The second half belonged to the Blugolds, who raced out of the locker room with a 10-0 run in the first 2:30 of the half and outscore the Knights 47-23 after the break.
UWEC, which shot 52.2 percent from the field over the first 20 minutes, shot 67.9 percent in the second half, including going 5-9 from beyond the three-point arc while holding the Knights to 33.3 percent for the half.
Scott and Swartz led the Knights with 18 points apiece, with Swartz also grabbing a team-high eight rebounds and recording three steals and three blocks. Hooser II finished with 12 points and three assists.
NEXT UP: Calvin men's basketball will return to action tomorrow (Saturday, November 7) when it travels to University of Wisconsin-Stout Polytechnic for a road contest scheduled to tip off at 5:00 PM (CT).
