GRAND RAPIDS, MI - In their conference home opener, the Knights dropped a 73-68 decision to the Kalamazoo Hornets.
A late first half run by Kalamazoo put Calvin into a big halftime hole. With just under three minutes remaining in the first half, Calvin had a six point advantage. Ryan Clark and the Hornets responded with a 16-0 run to give Kalamazoo a 39-29 lead at halftime. Clark finished the half with 17 points and six rebounds.
Calvin opened the second half on a mini-run of its own. The Knights scored seven unanswered points to cut the lead to two. Senior Danny Rodts' put back with 12:24 remaining tied the game at 43. But
Calvin was unable to establish a significant lead after that. Kalamazoo pulled ahead to a seven point lead after another three-pointer from Clark. Joe Prepolec, a go-to scorer for the Hornets, fouled out with seven minutes remaining.
Soon after that, freshman Jordan Brink capitalized on three consecutive free throws to cut the deficit to one. With five and a half minutes remaining, sophomore Tom Snikkers hit a jumper in the paint to tie the game for the fourth time.
But Calvin wouldn't lead after that. A Snikkers' lay-up tied that game at 63 with 1:42 remaining, but the Calvin offense sputtered and Clark remained true on the free-throw line. The Knights fell 73-68 after the Hornets went nine of 10 from the free throw line in the final minute.
After a hot-shooting night against Hope on Wednesday, Calvin shot a mere 15% from the perimeter.
Coach Kevin Vande Streek highlighted the poor shooting and some careless possessions on the loss.
"We have to value every possession. Games come down to the last two minutes 90 percent of the time," said Vande Streek.
The loss drops Calvin to 6-7 overall and 1-1 in the MIAA. Vande Streek acknowledged room for improvement as the conference season progresses.
"We have to go back to work and improve. By the end of the year we have a chance to be a really good team, but we're not there yet," he said.
Kalamazoo's Ryan Clark finished the game with 32 points and eight rebounds, leading the Hornets in both categories.
Tom Snikkers lead the Knights with 18 points and 13 boards. Calvin hosts Olivet on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.