GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.-- Calvin took over during the final 11 minutes of play to deal Trine a 66-48 loss in MIAA-action Saturday afternoon at Van Noord Arena.
After the Thunder took a five-point lead, the Knights dominated the final 11:38 of play as they outscored Trine 29-6 the rest of the way to earn the victory. MIAA-leading scorer Jordan Brink scored 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting to lead the way, with 15 of those points coming in the second half. Tyler Dykstra added a double-double, scoring 14 points to go along with 11 rebounds. Tyler Good (Swanton, Ohio/Evergreen) led the Thunder with 15 points. The loss drops Trine into third-place in the conference with an 8-4 league mark. Trine is 15-8 overall. Calvin improved to 17-6 overall, 10-2 in MIAA play.
Jake Bagley (Van Wert, Ohio/Van Wert) and Jared Holmquist (Reed City, Mich./Reed City) each added 12 points for the Thunder. Bagley knocked down four threes. Trine shot 33 percent (18-of-54) from the field.
Calvin outrebounded the Thunder by a 43-24 margin and got 18 points from players coming off the bench. Leading the bench output was Conner Vanderbrug's 12 points. The Knights shot 48 percent (25-of-52) from the field and picked up assists on 17 of their made field goals.
After trailing by seven at the half, Trine jumped all over Calvin in the first eight minutes of the second half with a 17-5 run. Good keyed the hot start with seven points. A layup-and-one by Holmquist, a runner by Good and a Bagley three made the score 42-37 with 11:38 to play.
From that point however, it was all Calvin. A 10-0 run over the next 3:22 restored the Knight lead for good. After a pair of Good free throws cut it back to a one-possession game, Calvin ripped off eight more in a row to push the lead to 55-44 with 4:40 to play. The Knights held the Thunder without a field goal for over seven minutes of action as they took over to earn the win.
Trine travels to Albion this Wednesday, Feb. 18. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m. The Thunder can still finish in the top two of the MIAA and earn a first-round home game in the MIAA Tournament. Trine will have to win its final two contests to have the chance to do so.