By Sports Information Student Assistant Mark DeHaan

On a day when Calvin honored its 1992 Men's Basketball National Champions, the first National Championship in Knights history, Calvin defeated Trine in dominating fashion, 78-51.

Trine came into the game second in the MIAA with a 4-1 conference record, and 11-5 overall. The Knights were 2-3 in the MIAA and 7-9 overall.

Calvin jumped out to an early 12-4 lead over the Thunder, led by sophomore Tyler Kruis who scored five early points for the Knights. Trine cut the lead to 14-12 minutes later, but another layup by Kruis and layups by both junior Tom Snikkers and junior Bryan Powell pushed Calvin's lead to 20-12.

Calvin's lead grew to as much as 13 in the opening period at 4:02 remaining in the half on a jumper by sophomore Jordan Mast.

The Thunder closed the first half on a 9-2 run to cut Calvin's lead to 29-23.

The Knights held Trine to just 21.4% in the first half en route to their six point lead. The Thunder were able to stay in the game via 9-for-9 shooting from the free throw line. Thunder junior guard Ian Jackson, second highest scorer in the MIAA at 19.2 points per game, was held to just seven points and 2-for-8 shooting in the opening half.

Scoring was much more prevalent in the early parts of the second half, as the teams fought back and forth. Trine was then energized by a pair of dunks by junior Scott Rogers.. With Trine fighting its way back to just a four point deficit at 40-36, the Knights went on an 8-0 run highlighted by a pair of blocks by freshman Daniel Stout to build their lead to 48-36.

After a highlight reel dunk by Trine's Jackson, Calvin used a 6-0 run to build its lead to 54-38.  On the next possession, the Thunder would cut the Knights lead to 14, but that was close as Trine would get as Calvin continued to build on its advantage.

A three-point shot by Powell and an old-fashioned three-point play by Kruis gave the Knights momentum for the final five minutes of the game as they cruised to a 78-51 victory.

Calvin had five players with double digit points, led by Snikkers and Powell, each with 16. Kruis added 14 points and 10 rebounds while junior Matt DeBoer chipped in 13 and Mast scored 10. Junior David Rietema, despite not scoring, had a big impact on the game dishing out 11 assists. The Thunder were led on offense by Jackson, who finished with 15, while Rogers scored 13 to go with seven rebounds, and Kent totaled 10 points.

"This is one of the best games and wins that we've had in a really long time," said Head Coach Kevin VandeStreek. "Today, I thought our focus was great for forty minutes, and our intensity was high. There was never a let-down."

Calvin, now 3-3 in the MIAA and 8-9 overall, will finish the first half of the MIAA season Wednesday night as it hosts Olivet at 8 p.m.