Coming off an 8-0 deficit at the beginning of last night’s game against University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Calvin learned it had to push right from the start. Doing so, Calvin kept within two points of Hope for the first four minutes, the game being tied three times. Hope then snuck away with a five-point lead, which freshman Tyler Zoerhof then reduced to three with a lay-up, breaking through two Hope defenders after snatching an offensive rebound. A Hope three point-play soon allowed Hope an 18-12 lead. A three-point play by senior Kyle Trewhella coupled with a freshman Caleb Veldhouse jumper from the free-throw line tied the game at 20-20 with 9:20 in the first half.
Hope then embarked on a 15-3 run that spanned the next six minutes, a run interrupted only by a Trewhella three pointer. During this time, Hope was able to take advantage of sloppy offensive play by Calvin, including six turnovers, five of which Hope converted into baskets. With 3:45 left in the half, Hope held a 12-point, 35-23 lead. The Knights out-scored Hope 8-5 in the remainder of the half, with six of those points coming from the free-throw line. Calvin trailed Hope 31-40 at the half.
Calvin entered the second half with an offensive agenda and out-scored Hope 36-30 in the half. Senior Andy Draayer sunk a three-pointer for the first basket of the second half. After a Hope lay-up that made the score 42-34 Hope, Calvin committed a turnover which Hope failed to capitalize on. Calvin’s Veldhouse grabbing the offensive board was able to find junior Josh Meckes for a two-handed fast-break dunk. Meckes then drew a turnover on the next play and Draayer hit a jumper to make it a four-point game, 42-38 Hope. The Dutchmen then slipped away with an 11-2 scoring run that left the Knights with a 13-point deficit, 53-40.
The Calvin bench then put in their effort, with freshman Dustin Smith sinking a three-pointer and a freshman Micah Chappell following with a fast-break lay-up. Junior Eric DeVries made a lay-up on the Knights’ next possession and Veldhouse added a three-pointer after a missed Hope free-throw to bring Calvin within eight at 58-50 with 11:00 to go. Calvin got within six points with Trewhella made a jumper, 60-54, and again at 62-56, when Meckes found a huge gap and slammed another two-hand dunk. After three Hope free-throws that created a 65-56 gap, Calvin put together a Trewhella three-pointer and a Meckes lay-up to make it a four-point game, 65-61 with just over four minutes of play remaining.
Hope then managed to put a little more space between themselves and the Knights, 68-61, with only two minutes left on the clock. Calvin was too close to give up, however. Meckes game up big again, making a put-back off a Calvin missed shot with 1:33 on the clock. He stole the ball on the next possession and was able to find Draayer, who sunk a three-pointer, making it a two-point game, the closest Calvin had been since the 9:00 mark in the first half. Hope had the ball with 54 ticks on the game clock and chose to wind it down, attempting a three pointer with 22 seconds left. Veldhouse snatched the defensive board and drove down the court, until he stopped just inside the arc, only to be called for an offensive foul that left 15.7 seconds to play.
Calvin intentionally fouled on the Hope inbound, a play that only took .7 seconds off of the game clock. Hope’s Greg Immink capitalized on the double-bonus situation and distanced Hope by four points, 70-66. Veldhouse was fouled on the Calvin inbound, but did not get a chance for free-throws, this being only Hope’s sixth team foul. A second Hope foul on the inbound did bring Veldhouse to the line, who made the first shot and intentionally missed the second, Calvin being within three points of sending the game into overtime. Though he rebounded his shot, Veldhouse was triple-teamed and was not able to square up to the basket, the shot hitting the side of the back board. Calvin had maintained its stamina and put forth a tremendous effort right down to the wire, but Hope came out victorious with a 70-67 win.
Veldhouse led Calvin with a 16-point effort and also had a game-high eight rebounds. Trewhella added 13 points and Draayer had 12, each contributing two three-pointers. Meckes followed with a nine-point effort, including two dunks, and DeVries had six points.
For Hope, Greg Immink and Stephen Cramer had 16 points apiece, while Andy Phillips added 14.
Hope Head Coach Glenn Van Wieren complimented the Knights’ top scorers: “Draayer, Trewhella, and Caleb are as big a trio as any and we had to defend them very hard tonight.”
Calvin’s Head Coach Kevin Vande Streek spoke of his three retiring seniors, Andy Draayer, Kyle Trewhella, and Kevin Prins, saying, “They were part of one of the best classes of incoming freshman that we’ve ever seen. They’re the only three left of that class and they are the heart and soul of the team. It’s really difficult for them. They just so hate to see it end.”
With the win, Hope advances to the sectional round to face Wittenberg University at a site to be determined on Sunday night.
Newspaper Box Score Calvin College vs Hope College 03/04/06 7:00 pm at DeVos Fieldhouse At DeVos Fieldhouse HOPE COLLEGE 70, CALVIN COLLEGE 67 CALVIN COLLEGE (23-7) Caleb Veldhouse 5-14 3-4 15; Kyle Trewhella 4-11 3-3 13; Andy Draayer 4-7 2-2 12; Josh Meckes 4-7 1-2 9; Eric DeVries 2-3 2-2 6; Micah Chappell 2-3 0-0 4; Dustin Smith 1-3 0-0 3; Tyler Zoerhof 1-1 1-3 3; Kyle Snoeyink 1-7 0-0 2; Tim Katt 0-0 0-0 0; Kevin Prins 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-56 12-16 67. HOPE COLLEGE (28-2) Greg Immink 6-12 3-4 16; Stephen Cramer 6-12 3-4 16; Andy Phillips 6-11 1-3 14; Eric Voisin 2-2 4-8 8; Tyler Wolfe 2-3 1-1 5; Scott Richardson 1-2 2-2 4; Jesse Reimink 2-3 0-0 4; Marcus Vanderheide 1-6 0-0 3; Derek Van Solkema 0-1 0-0 0; Jeff Carlson 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 26-55 14-22 70. Calvin College................ 31 36 - 67 Hope College.................. 40 30 - 70 3-point goals-Calvin College 7-18 (Andy Draayer 2-3; Kyle Trewhella 2-5; Caleb Veldhouse 2-4; Dustin Smith 1-3; Kyle Snoeyink 0-2; Micah Chappell 0-1), Hope College 4-17 (Marcus Vanderheide 1-2; Andy Phillips 1-2; Greg Immink 1-3; Stephen Cramer 1-4; Jesse Reimink 0-1; Derek Van Solkema 0-1; Jeff Carlson 0-3; Tyler Wolfe 0-1). Fouled out--Calvin College-None, Hope College-None. Rebounds-Calvin College 37 (Caleb Veldhouse 8), Hope College 32 (Andy Phillips 6). Assists-Calvin College 12 (Kyle Trewhella 4), Hope College 13 (Greg Immink 4). Total fouls-Calvin College 23, Hope College 17. A-3533 NCAA Division III Basketball Tournament - Great Lakes Region Second Round Game