MANCHESTER,IN – The Calvin College men's basketball team traveled to Manchester to take on the Spartans of Manchester University Tuesday night in a Great Lakes regional contest. Calvin defeated Manchester 87-63 to improve to 6-0 on the season.
Both teams scored six of the first 12 points. Junior center Tyler Kruis (Grandville/Calvin Christian) had four of the first six Calvin points. The game was tied again 15-15 at the 14:04 mark. Then both teams locked up on defense. Three field goals were made in the next six minutes.
Calvin trailed 20-19 with 9:35 to go in the first half. Calvin scored the next nine points to lead 28-20. The Spartans cut the gap to two points, 30-28, on two free throws from sophomore guard Greg Flores (Hammond, IN/Morton).
The Knights then opened up the game, going on a 15-2 run to end the half leading 45-32.
Calvin shot 46.3 percent from the floor in the first half. The Spartans shot 35.5 percent.
Manchester cut Calvin's lead to single digits in the first minute of the second half. Two jumpers from Calvin senior Tom Snikkers (Hudsonville/Unity Christian) and one from sophomore Tyler Dykstra (Holland/Holland Christian) pushed the lead back to 15. The Knights never looked back. Calvin's lead grew to as many as 26 with less than a minute to play.
Four Knights scored in double figures. Senior guard Bryan Powell (Wyoming/Wyoming Park) led Calvin with 13 points. Snikkers fell one rebound short of a double-double ending the game with 12 points and nine rebounds. Sophomores Jordan Brink (Dyer, IN/Illiana Christian) and Dykstra had ten points apiece. Sophomore Dan Stout (Escondido, CA/Calvin Christian) chipped in a career-high nine points off the bench.
"Anytime you can go into an opponent's gym and get an in-region win is huge," said Calvin head coach Kevin Vande Streek after the game. "That being said, we need to improve our effort on the defensive side of the ball."
Calvin shot 47.1 percent from the field in the contest, including 8 of 21 behind the three point arc.
The Spartans shot 38.3 percent and were led by Flores and sophomore guard Silas Sims (Hope, IN/Hauser) who scored 18 and 17 points respectively.
Calvin is now 6-0 for the first time since the 1999-2000 season. The Knights will travel to Wheaton, Ill. this weekend for the annual CCIW-MIAA Classic. Calvin will face Carthage (WI) on Friday at 6:00 p.m. CST and host Wheaton at 8:00 p.m. CST on Saturday.