GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Calvin University men's basketball team opened the MIAA Men's Basketball Tournament presented by Collegiate Credit Union with a 105-63 win over Adrian College in Tuesday's quarterfinal at Van Noord Arena.
 
Calvin (19-7) dominated the match-up from the start, opening the game on a 25-3 run against Adrian (6-20) and coming just six points shy of the MIAA Tournament record of 66 points in the first half.
 
The Knights' size was on display from the opening tip, as Jalen Overway (Holland, Mich./Holland Christian) scored nine points from inside the paint in the opening 25-3 run while the Calvin defense held the Bulldogs without a field goal until the 15:26 mark.
 
That defense helped the Knights get out in transition and made the Bulldogs pay throughout the first half, as Calvin shot a scorching 71.0 percent from the field and recorded 17 fast-break points in the first half while dominating the paint to a 34-12 advantage.
 
With Overway controlling the paint, the Knights also found the range from distance in the opening half by shooting 5-10 from beyond the three-point arc, with both Parker Swartz (Grand Rapids, Mich./Northview/Ohio Dominican) and Luka Ressler (Caledonia, Mich./Catholic Central) making a pair of threes in the half as the Knights went into the locker room with a commanding 60-30 advantage through the first 20 minutes.
 
Overway finished the half with 21 points on 8-10 shooting to go with seven rebounds. Swartz added 10 points on 4-5 shooting, and Ressler added nine points.
 
The Knights came out of the locker room strong to start the second half and pushed the lead as high as 47 points over the first nine minutes before emptying the bench over the final 10 minutes on the way to the win.
 
Calvin finished the game with a 54-18 advantage in the paint, led by 21 points in only 18 minutes from Overway, who also grabbed nine rebounds. For the game, the Knights shot 55.9 percent from the field and 36.0 percent (9-25) from beyond the arc.
 
Defensively, Calvin held the Bulldogs to 32.8 percent for the game and forced 11 turnovers, which the Knights turned into 18 points on the other end.
 
Ressler finished with 14 points and five assists as one of three players to join Overway in double figures. Swartz finished with 12 points, while Jordan Scott (Plymouth, Mich./Plymouth Christian Academy) added 10 points. Trevin Winkle (McBain, Mich./Northern Michigan Christian) led the Knights with six assists to go with nine points and six rebounds.
 
COACH'S COMMENT: "I liked our mentality in that first half," Calvin head coach Bill Sall said. "We talked a lot about avoiding what we've had a couple times where we had a big win and then came back feeling a little satisfied. And tonight, I thought we did a really good job of defensive pressure, getting pushes up the floor and just doing what we should do and taking care of business."
 
NEXT UP: Calvin men's basketball will return to action on Friday, February 27, when it plays Hope College in the 219th edition of The Rivalry in the MIAA Men's Basketball Tournament presented by Collegiate Credit Union. The two rivals will face off at top-seed The University of Olivet at 5:30 PM.