GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Today the Calvin women's basketball team kicked off its postseason run when it defeated the Scots of Alma College 60-51 in the quarterfinal matchup of the MIAA Women's Basketball Tournament presented by Collegiate Credit Union.
 
In the first quarter, both teams got out to a slow start as they worked to find some offensive rhythm and put points on the board. However, after the first media timeout the lids came off the baskets as senior senior Anna Fernandez (Plymouth, Mich./Plymouth Christian Academy) notched six points in the opening ten minutes. Junior Katelyn LaRue (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) and freshman Lily Nitz (Caledonia, Mich./South Christian) each knocked down two three pointers apiece to give the Knights a 18-12 lead. Calvin also dominated the glass in the first quarter as eight offensive rebounds led to five second chance points.
 
Junior Chloe Wiegers (Lake Orion, Mich./Lake Orion) opened the second quarter scoring with a driving layup while fellow juniors Ashley Raredon (Caledonia, Mich./South Christian) and RyAnn Rohrer (Ludington, Mich./Ludington) also got in on the scoring action. On the other end of the floor, despite forcing the Scots into six turnovers in the quarter, Alma continued to put pressure on the Calvin defense and the Knigts headed into halftime with a slim 30-25 lead.
 
The third quarter continued to be a dog fight as both teams worked to get momentum on their side. Alma took its first lead of the game three minutes into the half before back-to-back three pointers from sophomore Gabby Halliwill (Charlotte, Mich./Lansing Catholic) and Fernandez put the Knights back in the driver's seat. Later in the quarter, Raredon came in clutch when she finished through contact before sinking the free throw to help the Knights end the third with a three-point lead.
 
As the fourth quarter got underway the Knights found a burst of offense as they started on a 11-2 scoring run to put some distance between them and the Scots. Refusing to back down, Alma was able to cut the lead down to five points with just under a minute to play. However, clutch free throws down the stretch as well as an offensive rebound and put-back from LaRue put the game out of reach and Calvin walked away with the 60-51 victory.
 
Fernandez recorded a double-double with a team high 14 points and a career-high 12 rebounds while Rohrer also notched a double-double with 11 points and a career high 15 rebounds. Raredon chipped in 10 points and LaRue finished close behind with nine points. Wiegers finished the game with three steals and a team high four assists while also grabbing seven rebounds of her own.

COACHES COMMENTS: "That game was exactly what we thought it would be," said head coach Mark Christner. "I know Alma was coming in here to win the game and we were too. I thought Alma put us in some uncomfortable situations tonight but we're going to have to be a lot better going forward. We had some big threes that helped us maintain a lead. It is hard to play the same team within the same week and defensively I thought we did a really nice job. Offensively, the ability to trust and move the ball is a lesson that we need to continue to learn because when you do that good things happen."
 
UP NEXT: The Knights advance to the MIAA Tournament semifinals where they will take on No. 1 seeded Trine in Angola, Indiana at 7 PM on Friday, February 28th.