Men’s Basketball Holds Off Finlandia 78-70 at Van Noord Arena to Move to 3-1 on Season
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Photo by Sandy Palmatter
Calvin picked up its third victory of the year against one loss, handing the visiting Finlandia Lions 78-70 Wednesday night at Van Noord Arena. Finlandia (0-3) was 14-of-31 from three-point range (.452) but Calvin (3-1) held a 45-29 rebounding advantage and connected on 23-of-29 attempts (.793) from the free throw line.
Calvin led 42-38 at halftime and got a pair of defensive stops in the final minute while holding on to a 74-70 lead. Sophomores Tyler Kruis and Mitch Vallie both swished a pair of free throws in the final 30 seconds to seal the win.
Kruis just missed a double-double, scoring 19 points and grabbing 9 rebounds while matching a career scoring high. Senior Brian Haverdink also had 13 points for the Knights including a trio of three-pointers Junior Tom Snikkers chipped in with 10 points and 7 rebounds. Jonathon Moore led Finlandia with 18 points on 6 of 7 shooting from three-point range. Matt Strong also had 12 points for the Lions.
Calvin is back in action on Friday when it faces Cornerstone University at 8 p.m. at the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame Classic at Cornerstone’s Mol Arena.
