By Mark DeHaan
Calvin College was the site for an NCAA Tournament sectional on Friday evening. The competition promised to be tough for the undefeated Knights (29-0), as they were joined by George Fox University (29-0), University of Texas-Dallas (26-4), and DePauw University (26-2) in their four team group.
Calvin, facing DePauw, was looking to duplicate the result which fellow undefeated George Fox earned in the first contest of the evening. The Bruins defeated UT-Dallas 77-73 to advance to the NCAA fourth round.
The Knights did duplicate the win, earning a 71-62 victory to set up a matchup of unbeatens Saturday night between Calvin and George Fox, both now 30-0.
The Knights got off to a hot shooting start. A three-pointer from senior Breanna Verkaik put Calvin ahead 11-4 after the Knights began the game 5-of-8 from the floor.
The Tigers responded with a 15-7 run, taking their first lead of the game at 19-18 with 12:30 to go in the first half.
The teams then fought back-and-forth, trading the lead nine times over the next four minutes. Calvin then regained the lead, and with 4:28 remaining, saw a seven point margin at 37-30.
The score settled at 41-34 at halftime.
Senior Kayla Engelhard had 17 points at the half on 8-of-12 shooting for the Knights. Senior Hannah Acre was also in double-digits with 12 points. Calvin shot 58.1% from the field in the opening period.
For DePauw, Savannah Trees had Emma Ondik each had eight. The Tigers shot 37% in the first half.
Out of the break, the Knights extended their lead to double-digits for the first time with 14:35 to go on a triple by Verkaik at 52-41.
Despite DePauw cutting its deficit to within single-digits on multiple occasions, Calvin pushed its lead to 66-52 with 6:27 remaining.
An 8-0 run for the Tigers then reeled the Knights within a half-dozen at 66-60.
With under two minutes to go, DePauw could not come any closer. Calvin held the Tigers at bay, and down the stretch, the Knights hit 5-of-7 free throws to claim the 71-62 victory.
Calvin finished the game at 43.6% shooting, holding the Tigers to 34.4% from the field. The Knights out-rebounded the Tigers 43-33.
Individually for Calvin, Engelhard had a double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Acre also contributed a double-double with 18 points and 11 boards. Also scoring in double-figures for the Knights was junior Kalley Verkaik with 14 points and Breanna Verkaik with 11.
"I'm really proud of this group on how we continue to be a family and support each other," said head coach John Ross. "Once again, tonight, we had a good lead, DePauw made a good run and we were able to make some big shots. It goes to show the character and determination of this group. Really excited to be back in the Elite Eight, it's not easy to do."
For DePauw, Trees finished with 21 points and six rebounds. Hannah Douglas added 17 points while Lauren Abendroth contributed 10.
"We saw what we expected from Calvin. Extremely talented and athletic, they pressure you for 40 minutes, and have a lot of players who can score in a lot of different ways," said DePauw head coach Kris Huffman. "I'm really proud of my team's effort tonight. We gave ourselves an opportunity to move on."
With the win, Calvin advances to the round of eight where it will face off with George Fox University. Both teams will enter the Saturday night contest with 30-0 records.
"George Fox is really good. They're long and they run some of our dribble drive stuff," said Ross. "They threw a little different press out on the floor than we had seen on tape. They're undefeated for a reason."
The fourth-round NCAA Tournament matchup is set to tip-off at 7:30 p.m.