GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Calvin University men's basketball team closed the regular season with a 96-88 win over Hope College in the 218th edition of The Rivalry in front of 4,532 fans at Van Noord Arena on Saturday.
Calvin (18-7, 10-4 MIAA) defeated Hope (16-9, 11-3 MIAA) in the highest-scoring game in The Rivalry since the teams combined to score 185 points in a 99-86 Calvin win in 1989, a game in which both current head coaches played in for their respective schools.
Both teams got off to a strong start offensively as the Flying Dutch made seven first-half three-pointers and shot 50.0 percent while the Knights countered by going 6-14 from three in the half and shooting 57.6 percent on the way to a 48-41 halftime lead.
Seniors
Luka Ressler (Caledonia, Mich./Catholic Central) and
Jalen Overway (Holland, Mich./Holland Christian) paced the Knights early on Senior Day, with Ressler going 4-7 from distance for 12 points and five assists in the first half while Overway led all scorers with 17 points on 7-10 shooting to go with six rebounds.
The teams continued to trade blows throughout the second half. Calvin led for the entire 20 minutes of the half but could never build the advantage above 11 points while Hope was only able to cut its deficit to a single score on a few possessions.
After scoring seven points in the first half,
Trevin Winkle (McBain, Mich./Northern Michigan Christian) put together a huge second half with 17 points on 4-6 shooting and going 9-11 from the free throw line to put his mark on Senior Day with a career-high 24 points.
Overway joined Winkle in double figures for the second half, scoring 11 more points to give him 28 points for the game as he dominated the paint, including the Knights' last field goal of the game with 2:04 left after Hope had cut the lead to 88-84. The two seniors finished the game by making six free throws in the final minute to finish off the win.
The Knights controlled the paint throughout, outscoring the Flying Dutchmen 44-34 while recording a 23-4 edge in fast-break points. Calvin also took advantage of Hope's miscues, turning 14 turnovers into 26 points on the other end.
Calvin finished the day shooting 56.9 percent overall and 45.0 percent (9-20) from beyond the arc. The Knights also recorded assists on 25 of their 33 baskets.
Overway led all players with 28 points and 10 rebounds for his 43rd career double-double. He finished the game shooting 11-19 from the field and added five assists.
Winkle finished with 24 points on 7-10 shooting and grabbed six rebounds and dished four assists. Ressler finished with 17 points and a career-high nine assists.
Jordan Scott (Plymouth, Mich./Plymouth Christian Academy) also came up with a number of big drives to the basket and finished with 10 points and three assists.
COACH'S COMMENT: "What a game," Calvin head coach
Bill Sall said. "I didn't expect it to be that high scoring. I thought both teams came out firing. Credit to Hope, they made shots and put us in some disadvantages defensively. I can't say enough about our seniors. These guys have carried the torch here for us the last four years and to have that kind of outing in your final (regular season) home game at Van Noord Arena speaks volumes to what they are as players and who they are as people. I thought they led us today. Really happy with the win and looking forward to seeing what happens next week."
NEXT UP: Calvin men's basketball will return to action on Tuesday, February 24, when it hosts the quarterfinal round of the MIAA Men's Basketball Tournament presented by Collegiate Credit Union. The Knights will enter the tournament as the third seed and will face the sixth seed.
