If the men’s basketball team had any gripes over their 20-point home loss to Hope College in late January, they were extinguished last Saturday.
It took two halves and an overtime period, but Calvin took down No. 16 Hope on the Flying Dutchmen’s home floor. Coming off of two straight victories, the Knights earned their third win in a row with a final score of 65-62.
The Knights already clinched sole possession of second place in the MIAA with a 26-point victory over Adrian College last Wednesday. Because of this, the significance of the game against Hope was less about the standings and more about finishing strong.
The turning point in the game was when Hope’s Cody Stuive mishandled an inside pass — thanks to pressure from Calvin’s Mike Siegel — with Calvin down by one and 2:59 left in regulation.
Calvin’s Nick Kronemeyer battled for possession for a second, seemingly losing the ball, before diving and sliding across mid-court with the ball in his chest. Kronemeyer shoveled a pass into Cam Denney’s hands, who was running on the fast-break. Denney dribbled the ball through an open lane and threw down a two-handed dunk, giving Calvin a 63-62 lead.
“Today was a game about heart and desire and when a guy like Nick is out there diving on loose balls, it inspires the rest of the team,” said head coach Kevin Vande Streek.
The leading scorer for both teams was Siegel, off of the bench, with 20 points.“It was really great, can’t do anything better than that,” said Siegel. “An overtime win — that’s great at Hope.”
Calvin’s bench played a crucial role in the outcome of the game, at times playing better than the starting five. This is in part because of the rotation Vande Streek used, in which several players on the bench play starter minutes.
“We kept grinding and working. We received great contributions from our bench,” said Vande Streek.
The seniors on the team made a splash in their final regular season outing. Kronemeyer and Michael Welch scored in double digits, and Welch lead the team in rebounding with nine boards — including a key offensive rebound with two minutes remaining. Denney’s dunk sealed Hope’s fate, paralleled with a seal on Denney’s final regular season game.
“For our seniors, this was a great result in their final MIAA regular season game. I’m proud of them and I’m proud of the entire team,” added Vande Streek.
Despite the stadium being packed with Hope fans, Calvin’s supporters were out in good numbers, with dozens screaming in support on the corner of the baseline.
Calvin is looking at the second seed in the MIAA Tournament, where they will face Trine University. Vande Streek indicated that the win against Hope was a good springboard into the postseason.
“I think this gives us a little shot of confidence,” said Vande Streek. “And I think anyone can get in.”
