Calvin is now tied with Albion for first place in the league standings at 9-2 while Hope remains just a game back at 8-3 after an 88-86 victory over Kalamazoo Wednesday night.
Olivet (9-13 overall, 3-8 MIAA) battled Calvin on even terms through much of the game but the Knights broke the game open with a 23-1 scoring run midway through the second half that allowed the Knights to build a commanding 73-43 lead with just over four minutes remaining.
Junior Andy Draayer sparked Calvin’s surge as he connected on all six of his three-point attempts in the second half – en route to finishing with a game-high 25 points. The Denver native finished the evening with seven triples on 11 attempts while also grabbing four boards.
Ranked 18th in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25 poll, Calvin (17-5 overall, 9-2 MIAA) led just 30-27 at halftime as the Comets forced the Knights into seven first half turnovers and just two trifectas but the Knights exploded for 54 points in the second half while holding the Comets to 29 points and just eight field goals in the final 20 minutes of play.
In addition to Draayer, senior Dan Aultman fired in 18 points along with eight rebounds for the Knights while junior Brian Roelofs had 11 points off the bench.
Olivet was led in defeat by Derek Kurtz and Ronnie Pearson with 10 points apiece. Calvin outrebounded Olivet 32-25 and shot 58.9 percent overall including 47.6 percent (10 of 21) from three-point range.
Calvin returns to action on Saturday when it hosts Alma at 3:00 p.m. at the Calvin Fieldhouse.
Newspaper Box Score Olivet College vs Calvin College 02/09/05 7:40 at Grand Rapids, MI At Grand Rapids, MI CALVIN COLLEGE 84, OLIVET COLLEGE 56 OLIVET COLLEGE (9-13, 3-8 MIAA) Ronnie Pearson 3-7 4-6 10; Derek Kurtz 3-6 2-2 10; De'Andre Pruitt 2-8 4-5 9; Jerame File 2-6 1-2 7; Steve Johnson 3-5 0-0 6; Jeff Cooper 2-3 0-0 6; McKinsey Golfin 2-4 1-1 5; Greg Ravy 1-6 0-2 2; Antonio Higginbotham 0-1 1-2 1; Robert Banks 0-1 0-0 0; Adam Alberson 0-0 0-0 0; John Zenner 0-0 0-0 0; De'Andre Clement 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 18-49 13-20 56. CALVIN COLLEGE (17-5, 9-2 MIAA) Andy Draayer 9-14 0-0 25; Dan Aultman 8-13 2-3 18; Brian Roelofs 4-5 2-2 11; Ricky Shilts 2-6 3-3 8; Brad Sall 3-6 0-0 7; Josh Meckes 3-5 0-0 6; Joel Hoekstra 3-4 0-0 6; Eric DeVries 1-2 0-0 2; Kyle Snoeyink 0-1 1-2 1; Tony Zwiers 0-0 0-0 0; Kevin Prins 0-0 0-0 0; Josh Vriesman 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 33-56 8-10 84. Olivet College................ 27 29 - 56 Calvin College................ 30 54 - 84 3-point goals-Olivet College 7-22 (Jeff Cooper 2-3; Derek Kurtz 2-3; Jerame File 2-5; De'Andre Pruitt 1-5; Antonio Higginbotham 0-1; De'Andre Clement 0-2; Greg Ravy 0-2; Ronnie Pearson 0-1), Calvin College 10-21 (Andy Draayer 7-11; Ricky Shilts 1-5; Brian Roelofs 1-1; Brad Sall 1-4). Fouled out--Olivet College-None, Calvin College-None. Rebounds-Olivet College 25 (Ronnie Pearson 6), Calvin College 32 (Dan Aultman 8). Assists-Olivet College 11 (Antonio Higginbotham 2; Ronnie Pearson 2; De'Andre Clement 2; Greg Ravy 2), Calvin College 22 (Josh Vriesman 6). Total fouls-Olivet College 17, Calvin College 19. A-1621