Story by Mitch Blankespoor

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – The Calvin College men's basketball team continued to roll Saturday afternoon defeated the Kalamazoo College Hornets 92-50 at the Van Noord Arena.  The Knights, who were ranked 17th in the most recent d3hoops.com men's basketball poll, improve to 19-2, 10-0 MIAA on the season. 

Calvin, which had a significant height advantage, used it right from the start.  Junior center Tyler Kruis (Grandville/Calvin Christian) scored three of Calvin's first four baskets en route to an early 11-2 lead four minutes into the game.

Kalamazoo kept the game close with sharp shooting from distance.  Junior Mark Ghafari (Grosse Pointe Shores/University Liggett) hit three deep triples in the first half.

The highlight of the first half came with 9:06 remaining in the first half.  Senior guard Bryan Powell (Wyoming/Wyoming Park) picked off a pass from Adam Peters (Hickory Corners/Gull Lake) and dunked in transition.  The dunk gave Calvin a 25-15 lead.

Despite the shooting from Kalamazoo, the Knights took a 42-29 lead into halftime. 

Calvin shot 44.2 percent from the field in the first half.  Kruis had already earned a double-double scoring 21 points and grabbing ten rebounds in the first half.  The Knights outrebounded the Hornets 32-14.

Kalamazoo shot an even 50 percent (7-14) from beyond the arc.  Ghafari led the Hornets, who hit just two two-point field goals, with nine points at halftime.

The Hornets could not get any closer in the second half.  Calvin continued to used its height advantage, and coasted to a 42-point victory. 

"We really tried to highlight guarding [Mark] Ghafari," Calvin head coach Kevin Vande Streek said.  "David [Rietema] takes it personal when someone scores in him.  He did a very nice job this afternoon."

Kruis finished with 27 points and 12 rebounds, two points away from tying his career high.  Powell finished with 17 points and five assists.  Senior Tom Snikkers (Hudsonville/Unity Christian) finished with 16 points and seven rebounds.  Snikkers moves into 11th place on Calvin's all-time scoring list with 1,341 points.

"Tyler [Kruis] did a nice job of backing his defender down close enough to the basket and finishing," Vande Streek said. 

Calvin outrebounded Kalamazoo 67-28, and held the Hornets to just 23.9 percent shooting from the field.

Calvin returns to action Wed., Jan. 6, when it travels to Alma for a 7:00 p.m. contest against the Scots.