The Carthage College men's basketball team (4-2, 0-0 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin), ranked 18th in the Nov. 30 "D3hoops.com" poll, defeated Calvin College (3-4), 88-80, on Saturday, Dec. 4 on the final day of the CCIW/MIAA Classic at Tarble Arena in Kenosha, Wis. No. 49 Hope College (2-3) upset No. 21 Wheaton College (Ill., 5-2), 80-74, in Saturday's first game. On Friday, Dec. 3, Carthage edged Hope, 71-70, with Wheaton College (Ill.) upending Calvin by an 86-64 margin.
In Carthage's win over Calvin, the Red Men trailed only once in the ball game. Carthage jumped out to 20-10 lead at 11:58 before Calvin took a 21-20 lead at 9:44. The Red Men took off on a 20-5 run to take a 14-point lead, 40-26, at 2:19. Mitch Thompson scored six of those 14 points on a three-point play and a three-pointer. Carthage led by 13 points at halftime, 45-32. The Red Men opened up a 16-point lead early in the second half, 50-34, at 19:02. Carthage was still leading by 12, 68-56, at 9:02 before the Knights made a run. Calvin used a 13-6 stretch to make it a three-point game, 74-71, at 4:29. The Knights pulled to within two points, 80-78, at 1:51 on a layup by Tom Snikkers. A three-pointer by Carthage's Malcom Kelly at 1:16 gave the Red Men a five-point lead, 83-78, and Carthage went on to win by eight, 88-80.
The Red Men shot 49 percent (27-55), while Calvin shot 48 percent (32-67). The Knights out-rebounded the Red Men, 42-32. Three Carthage players scored in double figures. Steve Djurickovic (Sr., Pleasant Prairie, Wis./Kenosha-Bradford) led the way with 24 points on six-of-16 field goals, including two-of-two three-pointers, along with 10-of-13 free throws, 11 assists and five rebounds. Djurickovic's 11 assists tied a tournament record set by Wheaton's Jon Nielson in 2004. Max Cary (Jr., Geneva, Ill.) scored 20 points on eight-of-11 shooting, while Mitch Thompson (So., Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) added 17 points and eight rebounds. Calvin's Tom Snikkers poured in 33 points, one shy of a tournament record set by Wheaton's Kent Raymond in 2008. Snikkers connected on 13-of-22 from the floor and pulled down 12 rebounds.
"Anytime you win a game against a quality opponent like Calvin," said Carthage coach Bosko Djurickovic, "you're happy and move forward. This was really a tough game. We were a little short in our rotation and had to get some extra minutes from some other people. Former Wheaton coach Bill Harris pointed something a few years ago about this tournament. In January, Carthage and Wheaton start the grind of the CCIW schedule. Calvin and Hope, while fine programs who would do very well in our league, don't see the overall caliber of competition in the MIAA that we see in our league. The point is, that we have to continue to improve. We did a great job on the boards in the first half, less so in the second half. Malcom Kelly made some cold-blooded three-pointers in this game, and we really needed those. Let's not forgot how good a player Calvin's Tom Snikkers is. He's an elite basketball player. He can shoot the deep ball, and he's a strong, battling guy."
Carthage plays host to Silver Lake College on Tuesday, Dec. 7 in a 7:30 p.m. game, also at Tarble Arena.