The Carthage College men's basketball team (4-2, 0-0 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) entered a difficult stretch of non-conference games on Friday, Dec. 4 with a 77-65 loss to Calvin College (3-3) on the opening night of the Midwest Challenge at Hope College's DeVos Fieldhouse in Holland, Mich. The loss snapped a three-game Carthage win streak, all on the road.
In Friday's second game, No. 5 Hope College (4-1) got by Wheaton College (Ill., 3-3), 88-83 in double-overtime. On Saturday, Dec. 5, Calvin plays Wheaton (Ill.) at 1 p.m., EST, followed by Carthage versus Hope at 3 p.m., EST.
Calvin edged out to a seven-point lead, 26-19, at 7:42 first half. Carthage got it back to one point. 33-32, at 1:15, thanks to a pair of three-pointers by Jordan Kedrowski. The Knights led by six points at the break, 38-32, thanks to converting 13-of-16 from the free-throw line.
Calvin opened the second half with a 12-3 run to take a 15-point lead, 50-35, at 16:10. Carthage got it back to seven points, 58-51, at 10:24, and seven again, 64-57, at 7:10, but no closer. The Knights went on to win by 12 points, 77-65.
Calvin shot 42 percent (26-62), including seven-of-20 from three-point range, while Carthage shot 37 percent (23-63), including just eight-of-29 three-pointers. The Knights got the free-throw line 22 times and made 18, while the Red Men converted 11-of-16. Calvin had a whopping, 51-30 rebounding advantage, including an 18-10 edge on the offensive boards.
Jordan Daley led the Knights with a game-high 25 points on nine-of-19 field goals, along with a game-high 12 rebounds. Austin Parks added 17 points on six-of-10 shooting. Jordon Kedrowski (Fr., Bolingbrook Ill./Downers Grove-North) led the Red Men with 22 points on seven-of-20 field goals, including five-of-14 three-pointers. Mike Stevenson (Jr., Burlington, Wis./Wilmot-Union) was the only other Carthage player in double figures with 18 points on six-of-11 shooting, along with five-of-five from the free-throw line.
"This was one of those missed opportunities," said Carthage coach Bosko Djurickovic. "Every time we needed a stop or a basket, we didn't get it, and they came down and scored. We had it within seven points, with the ball, but to their credit, offensively, they made a big shot every time they needed one. The one number that really sticks out, and this has been a sticking point for years with us, was the 51-30 rebounding advantage. The only guy who can fix that number is me. Our schemes are good, and we compete well, but sometimes we get overwhelmed on the boards. Calvin had more players tonight who were likely to score than we did. This is one we'll regret, because if they threw it again right now, I think we have every chance to win. Hope tomorrow will try and play up-and-down the court at their pace. If we allow them to get into transition, it'll be a long afternoon."