A year ago, the two non-conference rivals battled through a nip-and-tuck game at the Calvin Fieldhouse that saw Calvin prevail by an 85-81 score.
Wednesday’s game would prove to be a different story as Calvin put the clamps on Trinity Christian with a suffocating defensive effort while also controlling the glass. Calvin (6-3) raced out to a 46-22 halftime lead as it forced the host Trolls (4-7) into 16 turnovers and held them to just 30 percent field goal shooting.
Meanwhile, Calvin shot 50 percent in the first half including 54 percent (6 of 11) from three-point range.
Calvin would stretch its lead to as much as 35 points in the second half in cruising to the lopsided victory.
Calvin was led in the victory by junior Andy Draayer who popped in 20 points off the bench which included six of seven shooting from three-point range.
Over his last six games, Draayer has connected on 28 of 42 attempts from beyond the arc for a red-hot 66.7 percent clip. On the year, Draayer is shooting 55.7 percent (34 of 61) from three-point range.
“Right now Andy is in a shooting zone,” said Calvin men’s basketball coach Kevin Vande Streek. “We’re trying to get him as many shots as possible and whenever we have the ball, our guys are looking to get the ball to him.”
Draayer was one of four Calvin players to reach double-digits in scoring as senior point guard Ricky Shilts picked up 15 points and four steals while connecting on four three-point field goals. Senior Dan Aultman was next with 12 points while sophomore Josh Meckes had 10 points, eight rebounds and three steals.
As a team, Calvin finished with a 42-26 rebounding edge including 17-4 on the offensive glass.
“We have a three-week layoff after tonight’s game so our goal was to make this a statement game with the kind of effort we gave out on the floor,” said Vande Streek. “I thought our defensive intensity was terrific and our rebounding was probably the best we have had all year.”
Coached by former Calvin assistant coach Tim Walker, Trinity Christian was led by junior Lawrence Weller who scored 12 points with juniors Nick Rykse and Steve VanderPloeg adding 10 points apiece with VanderPloeg also dishing out five assists.
Calvin finished the game with a 48.5 percent shooting percent overall and connected on 50 percent (12 of 24) from three-point territory. Trinity Christian shot 41 percent overall and 33.3 percent (5 of 15) from three-point range.
The Trolls also finished the game with 23 turnovers with Calvin scoring 31 of its points off turnovers.
Calvin returns to action on December 29 when it faces the Knights of Wartburg College at 7:00 p.m. (EST) in a first round game of the Cenex Harvest States Tournament hosted by the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. The tournament will also include St. Thomas of Minnesota.
Calvin College vs Trinity Christian College 12-8-04 7:30 pm at TCC At TCC CALVIN COLLEGE 88, TRINITY CHRISTIAN COLLEGE 59 CALVIN COLLEGE (6-3) Andy Draayer 7-8 0-0 20; Ricky Shilts 5-7 1-2 15; Dan Aultman 5-9 2-2 12; Josh Meckes 5-8 0-0 10; Josh Vriesman 2-3 4-6 9; Todd Koetsier 3-7 0-0 6; Brad Sall 1-2 2-2 5; Kyle Trewhella 2-5 1-2 5; Joel Hoekstra 1-6 0-0 2; Eric DeVries 0-2 2-2 2; Kyle Snoeyink 1-5 0-0 2; Kevin Prins 0-1 0-0 0; Brandon Gerth 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 32-66 12-16 88. TRINITY CHRISTIAN COLLEGE (4-7) Weller, Lawrence 5-8 2-2 12; Rykse, Nick 2-6 4-6 10; Vander Ploeg, Steve 3-5 3-4 10; DeWitte, Ty 4-5 0-0 8; Nauta, Dean 2-6 0-0 6; Commeret, Charles 2-7 0-0 4; Thompson, Matt 1-4 1-1 3; Talen, Greg 1-6 0-0 2; Vroegh, Kyle 1-3 0-0 2; Mulder, Ross 0-1 2-2 2. Totals 21-51 12-15 59. Calvin College................ 46 42 - 88 Trinity Christian College..... 22 37 - 59 3-point goals-Calvin College 12-24 (Andy Draayer 6-7; Ricky Shilts 4-5; Brad Sall 1-2; Josh Vriesman 1-2; Kyle Trewhella 0-2; Joel Hoekstra 0-1; Kyle Snoeyink 0-1; Kevin Prins 0-1; Brandon Gerth 0-2; Todd Koetsier 0-1), Trinity Christian College 5-15 (Nauta, Dean 2-5; Rykse, Nick 2-3; Vander Ploeg, Steve 1-3; Talen, Greg 0-3; Commeret, Charles 0-1). Fouled out--Calvin College-None, Trinity Christian College-None. Rebounds-Calvin College 43 (Josh Meckes 8), Trinity Christian College 28 (Talen, Greg 5). Assists-Calvin College 21 (Kyle Trewhella 3; Brandon Gerth 3; Joel Hoekstra 3), Trinity Christian College 13 (Vander Ploeg, Steve 5). Total fouls-Calvin College 13, Trinity Christian College 16.