KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Today the Calvin women's basketball team notched another MIAA conference victory when it defeated the Hornets of Kalamazoo 61-44. With today's win the Knights improved to 13-9 overall and 8-5 in conference play while the Hornets fell to 6-6 in the MIAA and 6-15 overall.
 
Junior Chloe Wiegers (Lake Orion, Mich./Lake Orion) got things rolling for the Knights when she converted a layup through contact and buried the following shot from the free throw line to complete the three-point play. Senior Anna Fernandez (Plymouth, Mich./Plymouth Christian Academy) scored seven points in the first quarter to help give Calvin a slight 15-11 edge after ten minutes of play. 
 
The Knights really found their offensive groove in the second quarter as they scored seemingly at will. Calvin posted an impressive 59.3 shooting percentage while holding the Hornets to just a 15.4 shooting percentage, their worst performance of the game. Led by junior RyAnn Rohrer (Ludington, Mich./Ludington), who notched ten points in the second quarter, the Knights outscored Kalamazoo 19-7 and headed into halftime with a commanding 34-18 lead. 
 
In the third quarter, Calvin kept its foot on the gas as junior Katelyn LaRue (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) hit a shot from beyond the arc on the opening possession. Junior Lydia Sall (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) added some buckets down low while Fernandez added to her total as the Knights increased their lead to twenty points heading into the fourth. 
 
The Hornets tried to bounce back as they opened the final ten minutes of play on a 11-4 run to cut the Calvin lead down to thirteen points. However, from that point forward the Knights ran the table as they locked in on defense and walked away with the 61-44 victory. 
 
The Knights took advantage of their defensive pressure as they scored 30 points off of18 Hornet turnovers. Calvin dominated the paint as it outrebounded Kalamazoo 38-36 and outscored the Hornets down low 34-20.
 
Fernandez led the way with 20 points while Rohrer finished with 12 points and seven rebounds. LaRue notched nine points while Sall chipped in seven points, seven rebounds, and two blocks. Wiegers also finished with seven points.
 
COACHES COMMENTS: "Great team win for us today vs an assertive Kalamazoo team trying to qualify for the conference tournament," said head coach Mark Christner. "Our defense again carried the day. Superb execution out of a late timeout gave us some breathing room. Another 2-0 week!"
 
UP NEXT: The Knights will be back in action on Wednesday, February 11th when they welcome Olivet to Van Noord Arena at 7 PM.