Calvin holds an all-time series lead of 81-80 against Hope but the Flying Dutchmen are coming off a 2005-06 campaign where they defeated the Knights in three out of four meetings.
The following are game recaps written by Calvin Sports Information Student Assistant Drew DeVries ‘08
In its win over over Aquinas Friday night, the Knights came out firing three pointers and took an early 11-7 lead. Both teams shot the ball well and had a tough time stopping each other in the first half. Aquinas was able to take several high percentage shots inside the paint early on and put together a 39-38 lead with thirty seconds to go. Calvin (3-0) held the ball for the last possession and sophomore Caleb Veldhouse nailed a three pointer as time ran out to give the Knights a halftime edge of 41-39. That was the closest Aquinas would get for the remainder of the game.
The Knights started the second half on a 13-2 run. Their offense was clicking and along with good defense, Calvin was able to start pulling away. Aquinas got within ten with about ten minutes to go but then watched Calvin go on an 8-0 run that put Aquinas away for good. The Knights were able to maintain their lead and finished with the 81-65 lead.
Aquinas head coach Dave Hammer gave a lot of praise to the Knights. “Their experience, bulk, and size just wore us down. They are quite the physical ball club. Their experience showed and the more they play, the better they are going to get.”
Derek Griffin was the high scorer for the Knights scoring 17 with Veldhouse not far behind scoring 14. For Aquinas, Jeff Jayson was the leading scorer with 16.
Calvin head coach Kevin Vande Streek had a few thoughts on an early Calvin-Hope match-up. “There is a downside to playing Hope. They are a really good team and will present our team with a significant challenge. Regardless of the outcome, we need to enjoy tomorrow’s game and learn from it.”
Since this year the tournament was held at the Fieldhouse instead of downtown, the coaches talked about there being a much better college atmosphere.
“I was a little concerned about our guys getting too excited because the crowd was so loud during the first game,” said Vande Streek. “I’m sure there will be quite the atmosphere here tomorrow night.”
Newspaper Box Score Aquinas College vs Calvin College 11/24/06 8:00 pm at G.R. MI (Calvin Fieldhouse) At G.R. MI (Calvin Fieldhouse) CALVIN COLLEGE 81, AQUINAS COLLEGE 65 AQUINAS COLLEGE (5-4) Jeff Jayson 6-14 2-2 16; Pedja Lazic 3-7 4-5 10; Jeff Wierzbicki 5-8 0-0 10; Johnny Martin 4-9 0-0 8; Dave Baldwin 4-4 0-1 8; John Lierman 3-7 0-0 6; Devin Tarrant 2-4 0-0 4; Matt McDonald 1-2 0-0 3; Jordan Torres 0-4 0-0 0; Justin Jamerson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-59 6-8 65. CALVIN COLLEGE (3-0) Derek Griffin 5-7 3-4 17; Caleb Veldhouse 6-12 0-0 14; Micah Chappell 3-4 5-5 13; Josh Meckes 4-6 3-3 12; John Mantel 3-8 1-3 9; Tyler Zoerhof 2-2 2-2 6; Kyle Snoeyink 2-3 1-2 5; Eric DeVries 1-3 1-3 3; Matt Veltema 1-4 0-0 2; Mike Zwier 0-0 0-0 0; Tim Katt 0-0 0-0 0; Dustin Smith 0-2 0-0 0; Mischa McCray 0-0 0-0 0; Todd Koetsier 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-51 16-22 81. Aquinas College............... 39 26 - 65 Calvin College................ 41 40 - 81 3-point goals-Aquinas College 3-16 (Jeff Jayson 2-9; Matt McDonald 1-1; Jeff Wierzbicki 0-1; Johnny Martin 0-1; John Lierman 0-2; Jordan Torres 0-2), Calvin College 11-17 (Derek Griffin 4-6; Caleb Veldhouse 2-4; John Mantel 2-3; Micah Chappell 2-2; Josh Meckes 1-1; Matt Veltema 0-1). Fouled out--Aquinas College-Dave Baldwin, Calvin College-None. Rebounds-Aquinas College 27 (Jeff Wierzbicki 4; John Lierman 4), Calvin College 31 (Eric DeVries 5; Josh Meckes 5). Assists-Aquinas College 16 (Jordan Torres 5), Calvin College 12 (Caleb Veldhouse 4). Total fouls-Aquinas College 18, Calvin College 15. A-2674 Select Bank Hall of Fame Classic First Round Game Calvin to face Hope in championship game Saturday at 8 pm Aquinas to face Cornerstone in consolation game at 6 pm Saturday.