Carissa Verkaik became the first women's basketball player at any MIAA school to reach 2,000 points. Calvin athletics file photo by Sandy Palmatter

By Troy Ellens

Senior Carissa Verkaik came into Saturday's game against Rochester College (Mich.) needing only 14 points to become the first player in Calvin's history to reach 2,000 career points. She reached that mark four and a half minutes into the second half with a putback layup in a game the Knights won 74-54.

A timeout was called right after and Carissa Verkaik received a well-deserved standing ovation from the crowd. She led the team with 22 points and 12 rebounds, recording her 42nd career double-double.

Early on both teams went back and forth as a 10-4 knights lead was quickly erased by two three pointers from Meagan Heiden. The Warriors had their biggest lead 12 minutes into the game after a layup by Erika Wasson put them up 15-12.

The Knights then surged forward with a 9-0 run fueled by back-to-back three pointers from the sharp shooting Kelsey Irwin. The Knights would never look back as they slowly increased their lead throughout the rest of the game. The final score ended up being 74-54 the knights on top. Irwin finished with 15 points on 5-for-7 shooting from 3-point range.

"Rochester really pushed us today and that was good," said Calvin women's basketball coach John Ross. "In order to get ready for the second half of our league schedule, we need to be sharp. Rochester is a very talented team and they made us dig down. The score is not indicative of how hard-fought this game was."

Ross also had words on Verkaik, who was the first player in MIAA women's basketball history to eclipse the 2,000 point plateau as well. "Carissa has had an unbelievable career but she would be the first person to tell you that she couldn't have done it without her teammates," said Ross. "She is just a great individual who is very coachable and willing to do whatever she can to help our team."

The win pushes Calvin's overall record to 15-1. The Knights remain 8-0 in the MIAA. Calvin will host Albion next Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in an league contest at Van Noord Arena.