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Notebook

Greg Chandler's
Great Lakes Notebook
Posted Jan. 15, 2000

HOLLAND, Mich. -- The intensity of the rivalry between Calvin College and Hope College can make even the most veteran player squirm with nervousness.

But for Calvin freshmen Bryan Foltice and Jeremy Veenstra, their first experience of playing in the big game against the Knights' archrival left the Flying Dutchmen squirming.

Foltice and Veenstra led a second-half comeback that wiped out a 10-point deficit Saturday (Jan. 15) as No. 6 Calvin defeated Hope 78-68 in front of a sellout crowd of 2,700 at the Holland Civic Center, a regional television audience and alumni who watched the game via satellite throughout North America.

Calvin (12-2) maintained sole possession of first place in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association with its fourth straight conference win without a loss. Hope slipped to 2-2 in the MIAA and 7-7 overall.

The win allowed the Knights to regain the all-time series lead, 72 wins to 71, in the rivalry that dates back to 1920. It was only Calvin's second victory over Hope in their last 13 meetings, and the first time the Knights had beaten the Flying Dutchmen on the road since 1994.

Trailing 41-31 at halftime, Calvin opened the second half on a 11-3 run, sparked by the inside play of senior center Brian Krosschel. Held to a single point in the first 20 minutes of play, Krosschel scored three baskets and fed Veenstra for another hoop as the Knights sliced the Hope lead to 44-42.

Then with the score 50-47 Hope, Foltice took over, hitting three 3-point baskets and a pair of free throws during a 16-4 run that gave Calvin a 63-54 lead with 8:39 remaining. Foltice finished the game with 17 points, including 5-for-8 from three-point range, in 25 minutes off the bench.

"To start the half, we talked about getting the ball inside, which we did, and we scored a few times," Calvin coach Kevin Vande Streek said. "Then the (Hope) defense had to collapse, and Bryan gets it going."

The Flying Dutchmen battled back gamely, twice cutting the Calvin lead to five down the stretch. Mark Bray's driving layup with 2:42 to play cut the Knights' lead to 68-63.

Then Veenstra stepped up, sticking two clutch jumpers, including one with the shot clock nearly expired, and added a pair of foul shots to seal the victory. He finished the game with 15 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

"Those two guys are special players," Vande Streek said of his freshmen. "They were special players in high school. They're great kids, they're leaders on and off the court, and they've got game."

In the early going, Hope rode the emotion of the home crowd and the hot shooting of backup point guard Chad Zagar to a double-digit lead. Zagar scored 10 points during a 12-2 run that allowed the Flying Dutchmen to open up a 32-22 lead with 3:35 left in the first half.

Another Zagar basket with 47 seconds left in the half gave Hope its biggest lead at 39-27. After Calvin's Nate Karsten sank a free throw and a three-pointer to cut the lead to eight, Zagar nailed a 15-foot jumper at the buzzer to give the Flying Dutchmen a 41-31 lead. The sophomore from Mattawan, Mich., scored all 16 of his points in the first half, a perfect 7-for-7 from the field.

"I thought the first half was as good a half as we've played all year," Hope coach Glenn Van Wieren said. "Our goal was to get everybody into (the flow) from the start, and we did that."

"I was disappointed because Hope did the dictating in all phases (of the game) in the first half," Vande Streek said. "Defensively, they pushed us away from the hoop ... on the other side of the ball, they took it right at us, and we either fouled them or we got beat off the dribble. They were the more aggressive team."

However, Calvin made a defensive adjustment in the second half, putting taller guards on Zagar, and he was unable to get on track, missing his only shot of the half.

"In the first half, everything went like we wanted it to," Van Wieren said. "But it's a 40-minute game. They were very, very good in the second half, and we were very, very good in the first half."

Calvin shot 70% (16-for-23) from the field in the second half and finished the contest at 54% (27-for-50). Hope was limited to 8-for-24 (33%) from the field in the final 20 minutes, and 25-for-56 (45%) for the game.

In addition to the combined 32 points from Foltice and Veenstra, reigning MIAA most valuable player Aaron Winkle scored 17 points for Calvin. In addition to Zagar's 16, Bray had 14 points for Hope and Craig Veldman added 13. Ryan Klingler, the Flying Dutchmen's leading scorer, rebounder and emotional leader, had eight points, seven rebounds and five assists, but shot 3-for-13 from the field.

CALVIN (12-2, 4-0): Aaron Winkle 4-9 7-8 17, Jeremy Veenstra 6-11 3-4 15, Brian Krosschel 3-4 2-4 8, Jon Potvin 1-1 0-0 2, Nate Karsten 3-5 1-2 9, Bryan Foltice 5-9 2-2 17, Nate Burgess 4-8 0-0 8, Jason DeKuiper 0-2 0-0 0, Derek Kleinheksel 1-1 0-0 2, Josh Tubergen 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-50 15-20 78.

HOPE (7-7, 2-2): Chad Carlson 1-6 0-0 2, Ryan Klingler 3-13 1-3 8, Kyle Maas 4-7 0-0 8, Mark Bray 4-8 6-9 14, Craig Veldman 4-8 4-4 13, Chad Zagar 7-8 0-0 16, Kyle VanderWall 1-3 2-2 5, Don Overbeek 0-1 0-0 0, Kevin Van Timmeren 1-2 0-0 2, Tim Hoogewind 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-56 13-18 68.

Halftime - Hope 41, Calvin 31. 3-point shots - Calvin 9-21 (Foltice 5-8, Winkle 2-4, Karsten 2-3, Burgess 0-3, DeKuiper 0-2, Veenstra 0-1), Hope 5-17 (Zagar 2-2, Klingler 1-4, Veldman 1-3, VanderWall 1-2, Carlson 0-4, Bray 0-1, Van Timmeren 0-1). Fouled out - None. Rebounds - Calvin 28 (Veenstra 10), Hope 31 (Maas 9). Assists - Calvin 18 (Winkle, Krosschel 4), Hope 15 (Klingler 5). Total fouls - Calvin 18, Hope 19. Technical - Hope bench. A - 2,700 (sellout).

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