On Wednesday, Feb. 13, the No. 2 ranked Calvin women Knight’s basketball team (22-1, 15-0 MIAA) hosted the Adrian Bulldogs (7-16, 6-9 MIAA), looking to remain undefeated in the MIAA and secure a share of the conference title while continuing their momentum going into the decisive Hope rivalry game.
After a missed three and an offensive rebound by Calvin, Adrian starter TraeVie Shelton stole the ball from junior Kirstin Tripp and then converted a layup to give the Bulldogs the first lead of the game. However this was also the only time that they had the lead. 20 seconds later, sophomore Breanna Verkaik hit a three for the Knights to put them ahead.
Adrian managed to keep the game close for most of the first half as they trailed by only six points at the 8:51 mark. However in these last eight minutes and 51 seconds, the Knights went on a huge 22-3 run to close out the half leading 44-19. During this run Calvin played well on both sides of the floor, hitting four threes and forcing five turnovers.
At the half, Verkaik led all scorers with 12 points while missing only one shot. senior Kelsey Irwin contributed 9 with all of her points coming from behind the arc. Meanwhile, Casey Fougerousse led the Bulldogs with 7 points but also had four turnovers. Calvin dominated the first half with brilliant shooting, passing, and defense. The Knights shot 61 percent from three, had 15 assists on their 17 made field goals, and forced 11 turnovers while holding Adrian to 24 percent shooting.
Adrian managed to significantly improve their play during the second half, scoring 33 points and shooting 38 percent, but Calvin finished out the game with valuable minutes from their bench and kept the Bulldogs out of striking distance by scoring 39 points on 54 percent shooting. The Knights won the game very comfortably thanks to their big run in the first half, beating the Bulldogs 83-52.
With this win, Calvin clinched a share of the MIAA regular season title, giving them three straight and 14 overall. This game ensures that Calvin will have a high seed in the MIAA conference tournament and sets the stage for the rivalry showdown with No. 3 ranked Hope.
