Lisa Winkle (Grand Rapids/South Christian) started off the scoring for the Knights putting the first six points up on the board. In doing so, Winkle became the first player in Calvin women's basketball history to surpass the 1500 point plateau. Along with Winkle, sophomore Marcia Harris (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian) took part in the bulk of Calvin scoring early on combining with Winkle for 20 of the 22 points scored by Calvin. It was part of a 12-4 Calvin run that put the Knights up 22-11 with just under ten minutes to go.
But Adrian was able to hang on much like it did in the first half the last time these two teams met. Calvin's lead hovered around ten but the Bulldogs might have cut into that lead a little more had they been able to hit their free throws. Adrian shot 1-7 from behind the line in the first half.
After Adrian got within eight, Kristi Brummel (Byron Center/South Christian) connected on a triple en route to Calvin closing the half scoring five straight points for a 33-20 lead.
Like the first meeting between Adrian and Calvin this season, Calvin once again started pulling away in the second half behind a 12-4 run which included a near seven-minute scoring drought from the Bulldogs. The Knights were able to get great looks resulting in easy buckets due to crisp passing. Calvin led by as many as 30 in the second half and eventually won by 21.
Winkle led all scorers with 24 and posted her 39th career double-double with 11 rebounds. Harris was Calvin's next highest scorer with 12.
For Adrian, Kim Olech and Elysia Norris led Bulldog scorers each collecting 9 points.
The Knights also received great play from sophomore Sarah Partridge coming off the bench as she scored 8 points. "Sarah had a great game," said Calvin head coach John Ross. "She had a big fan base here and it's great to see who do well since she is such a hard worker."
Ross also had praise for the great defense he saw from his team. "We did a really good job defensively. Holding them to six points early on in the second half causing their drought helped us pull away. That drought was key since Adrian is as physical of a team that we've faced so far."
With the win, Calvin (17-1 overall, 10-0 MIAA) remains in first place in front of Hope by a game-and-a-half. The Knights will next travel to Albion on Wednesday evening for a game slated to begin at 6:00pm.