Grand Rapids, Mich. - The Alma College men's basketball team won its first game on the campus of Calvin College since February of 1999 on Saturday (Jan. 16) afternoon, defeating the host Knights by an 86-64 margin in front of a crowd of over 2,000 at Calvin's Van Noord Arena. The Scots, winners in 10 of their last 11 outings, improve their record to 11-4 and remain atop the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association with a perfect 4-0 record.

Senior DJ Beckman (Shelby, Mich./Shelby) led all scorers with 17 points, including four three-pointers, while junior Trevor Gernaat (McBain, Mich./Northern Michigan Christian) tallied 14 points, shooting 5-for-7 from the field. Sophomore Kevin Gamble (Mt. Pleasant, Mich./Sacred Heart Academy) scored 13 points, while junior Chase Fairchild (Rockford, Mich./Rockford) and sophomore Jason Beckman (Shelby, Mich./Shelby) chipped in 10 points each.

The first 10 minutes of the game featured big runs by both squads. Alma opened the game on a 12-2 run and took a 14-4 lead just under four minutes into the game before Calvin responded with a run of its own, outscoring the Scots by a 19-5 margin to take a 23-19 lead with just over 10 minutes to go. Alma regained the lead with 8:58 to go led the rest of the half, entering the break up by seven, 46-39.

In the second half, the Knights got within five points early in the stanza, but the Scots closed the door with a 9-0 run to take a 15-point lead with just over 13 minutes to play in the game. Alma led by 10 or more points for the rest of the game.

The Scots shot over 50 percent from the floor for the fifth time in six games, making 32 of their 61 shots (.525). Alma was also 13-for-34 from behind the three-point line as the two teams combined for 60 shots from behind the arc. Alma held Calvin to .361 (22-for-61) from the floor. Jordan Daley led the Knights with 16 points and was the only Calvin player to score in double figures.

Alma will remain on the road to start next week, traveling to Angola, Ind., to face Trine University on Wednesday, Jan. 20. Tipoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. at Hershey Hall. Alma has dropped the last five road meetings with the Thunder and will be looking for its first win at Trine under head coach Sam Hargraves. On Saturday, Jan. 23, the Scots will look to extend their home winning streak with an 8:00 p.m. contest against Albion at Art Smith Arena. 

NOTES

• Alma's six-game winning streak is its longest since the 1989-90 campaign, when the Scots were able to string together seven consecutive victories.

• The Scots win at Calvin snapped a 19-game losing streak to the Knights in Grand Rapids.

• Alma has scored 80 or more points in their last eight games and own a 9-1 record when scoring at least 80.

• The Scots have won their first two MIAA road contests. Last season, Alma won two road MIAA games during the entire season.

• Trevor Gernaat has scored 12 or more points in each of the Scots' four MIAA games and is averaging 13 points per game in league play.

QUOTES

Head Coach Sam Hargraves

On the win at Calvin...

"It feels great to win. We've been building for it for five years and we've been close a couple times in the past. It's really good to break through. It doesn't matter what the records are, it doesn't matter the ranking, if you get to beat Hope or Calvin, it's a beautiful thing. I you get to win at one of their places on the road, it's an unbelievable thing. Calvin is good, we shot it well, and that helped, but they are going to be really tough to beat at home in a month."

On the week...

"We are feeling good. It's just a start. It's a 14-game (MIAA) season and we have a long way to go."