Calvin advanced to the NCAA III Tournament for the first time since the 2000-2001 season including the 14th time in school history with a 93-67 victory over Adrian in the MIAA Tournament Championship game Saturday evening at the Holland Civic Center.
The MIAA Tournament title is Calvin's fifth, matching Hope for the most league tournament crowns. Calvin's total of 93 points was also the third-highest scoring total in an MIAA Tournament final, surpassed only by the 95 points scored by Calvin in the 2000 tournament final and the 97 scored by the Knights in the inaugural 1992 tournament final.
Saturday's game marked just the second time that a third (Calvin) and fourth (Adrian) seed had met in the MIAA Tournament final and also marked just the second time that a team has won an MIAA Tournament title on a neutral floor as Defiance accomplished the feat in 1999. Calvin also becomes the first No. 3 seed to win the MIAA Tournament as Defiance was seeded fourth in 1999.
Calvin is now 5-4 in MIAA Tournament Championship finals and 4-0 against Adrian in MIAA Tournament play overall.
On Friday night, Adrian used torried three-point shooting (11 of 21) to upend top-seeded Hope 86-82 but in Saturday's championship tilt, a furious Calvin defensive effort limited the Bulldogs (16-13) to just six three-pointers on 26 attempts (.231).
Meanwhile, Calvin received offensive support from a variety of sources as four players notched double-digits in scoring with senior Chris Prins leading the way with 17 points, allowing him to move past 1961 Calvin graduate Duane Rosendahl and into ninth place on the all-time Calvin scoring list.
Juniors Dan Aultman and Ricky Shilts were next with 13 points apiece with sophomore Kyle Trewhella notching 12 points off the bench. Senior Kevin Broene added nine points and five rebounds with senior center Ryan Smalligan making his presence felt with a game-high nine rebounds while also ripping down a two-handed slam in the second half. Freshman forward Josh Meckes also had a break-out evening as he brought the Calvin faithful to its feet with a pair of high-flying dunks and three blocked shots.
Collectively, Calvin's bench provided 38 points on the evening as nine players received 10 minutes or more of playing time.
Calvin also shot 53.4 percent overall (31 of 58) and 43.5 percent (10 of 23) from beyond the arc.
"This group was determined to make a run for the (tournament) championship and they accomplished that goal," said Calvin men's basketball coach Kevin Vande Streek. "It's a very satisfying feeling, particularly for our seniors. Our team chemistry is very good right now and we really gelled during the tournament. We've love to keep it going next week."
Calvin jumped out to a 14-2 run in the opening moments of the game Saturday night and continued on to take a 42-27 halftime lead. Adrian would never seriously threaten from that point on.
Seniors Brian Schaefer and Adam Novak led the Bulldogs with 12 points apiece while sophomore Billy Collins had 11.
Calvin held a 42-30 rebounding edge with both teams connecting on 21 of 27 (.778) attempts from the free throw line.
Calvin will now await the announcement of the NCAA III Tournament field Saturday evening, scheduled for 10:30 p.m. (EST). The Knights will likely face a first round NCAA III Tournament game on the road next Thursday (March 4). In 13 prior trips to the NCAA III Tournament, Calvin has posted a won-loss record of 23-14 including trips to the NCAA III Final Four in 1990, 1992 and 2000 along with national titles in 1992 and 2000.
Newspaper Box Score Adrian College vs Calvin College 02/28/04 7:30 pm at Holland Civic Center At Holland Civic Center CALVIN COLLEGE 93, ADRIAN COLLEGE 67 ADRIAN COLLEGE (16-12) Adam Novak 2-3 8-9 12; Brian Schaefer 3-16 4-5 12; Billy Collins 4-15 2-2 11; Mike Lewis 4-6 0-0 8; Phil Tennant 2-2 1-2 6; Jeff Nokovich 2-4 2-3 6; Andy Kubish 2-3 0-0 6; Mark Bohlen 0-4 2-2 2; Corey Smith 1-4 0-0 2; Nick Clark 0-2 1-2 1; Steve Thornton 0-1 0-0 0; Anthony Thornton 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 20-61 21-27 67. CALVIN COLLEGE (19-9) Chris Prins 4-10 8-9 17; Ricky Shilts 6-10 0-0 13; Dan Aultman 3-6 6-8 13; Kyle Trewhella 5-6 0-0 12; Kevin Broene 4-7 0-0 9; Andy Draayer 2-2 0-0 6; Mike Natelborg 2-4 0-0 5; Joel Hoekstra 1-1 2-2 5; Josh Meckes 2-3 0-0 4; Ryan Smalligan 1-1 1-2 3; Jeremy Burgin 0-3 2-2 2; Brian Rooney 1-2 0-0 2; Brad Sall 0-1 0-0 0; Josh Vriesman 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 31-58 21-27 93. Adrian College................ 27 40 - 67 Calvin College................ 42 51 - 93 3-point goals-Adrian College 6-26 (Andy Kubish 2-3; Brian Schaefer 2-10; Phil Tennant 1-1; Billy Collins 1-6; Corey Smith 0-1; Nick Clark 0-2; Mark Bohlen 0-1; Jeff Nokovich 0-2), Calvin College 10-23 (Kyle Trewhella 2-3; Andy Draayer 2-2; Dan Aultman 1-1; Ricky Shilts 1-4; Chris Prins 1-3; Joel Hoekstra 1-1; Kevin Broene 1-3; Mike Natelborg 1-2; Jeremy Burgin 0-2; Josh Vriesman 0-2). Fouled out--Adrian College-Jeff Nokovich, Calvin College-None. Rebounds-Adrian College 30 (Adam Novak 4; Mike Lewis 4), Calvin College 42 (Ryan Smalligan 9). Assists-Adrian College 8 (Mike Lewis 3; Billy Collins 3), Calvin College 16 (Ricky Shilts 4). Total fouls-Adrian College 21, Calvin College 20. A-1501 2004 MIAA Men's Basketball Championship Game Calvin Receives automatic bid to NCAA Tournament