Box Score by Eva Dean Folkert
Without the usual raucous crowd present at the 204th Hope-Calvin men's basketball game, a stifled atmosphere pervaded Van Noord Arena in noise level only on Saturday. The same heightened excitement and competitive juices were very much in play between the Flying Dutchmen and the Knights as another nail biter unfolded in the final seconds of another storied game in The Rivalry.
With the game tied at 77 apiece and with 1.8 seconds to go, the teams' two big men clashed one last time. As senior center Preston Granger, pictured left, attempted a game-winning layup off a rebound from a missed Hope shot, he was fouled by sophomore center Brandon Paul.
Granger, a 64.7% career free-throw shooter, toed the line, inhaled deeply and proceeded to sink both free throws, reaching his game-high 25 points.
Calvin's last attempt to win the game with a near half-court shot fell short at the buzzer, and the 79-77 Hope College win snapped its five-game losing streak to Calvin University.
Now, after 204 clashes and 100 years in The Rivalry, the Flying Dutchmen lead the series, 104-100. After all of those years and competition, just 62 points separate the two teams. Hope has scored 13,930 points, while Calvin has scored 13,868.
The victory also puts Hope at 1-1 on its young season, leveling their record after a last-second loss to Alma College at home on Friday night. Calvin is now 3-3.
The game will not count in the MIAA regular-season standings. A single round of seven games in the schedule, including a February 20 Hope-Calvin rematch at DeVos Fieldhouse, will determine the MIAA champion.
Head coach Greg Mitchell was proud of his team's resiliency after suffering an opening-game loss less than 24 hours earlier.
"I'm just super pleased with the win. What I told our guys right now is just what a difference a day makes," said Mitchell. "The first half was just two really, really solid basketball teams going punch after punch. The shot-making execution was exceptional. We didn't feel like we could stop them. And thankfully, we shot the ball pretty well, too."
In the first half, Hope and Calvin combined for 94 points (Hope led 50-44) by shooting 50.0% and 58.8%, respectively.
Turnovers were rare in the first 20 minutes too. The Flying Dutchmen turned the ball over just twice, while Calvin had five miscues.
In the second half, Calvin slowly eliminated Hope's lead and then went ahead, 75-73, at the 4:53 mark on a Paul three-pointer.
For more than 10 minutes in the last half, though, the Flying Dutchmen did not make a field goal – from a Clayton Dykhouse three-pointer with 11:53 on the clock until a Granger lay-up with 1:28 left to go. All that kept the Flying Dutchmen in contention during that time were drives to the basket that resulted in Calvin fouls and Hope free throws.
"I thought we did a good job of putting it inside today," Mitchell said. "Last night (against Alma), I think we were one of six (from the line). And that's just atrocious. And today we get to the line 31 times (and made 23), and Preston goes 11 of 12. So, it was definitely the difference in the game. And I just challenged these guys.
"Last night we went on the negative side of a 17-to-nothing run. And I said, 'The way you break those up is you get to the free throw line. You've got to find a way to learn."
The lesson took for no one more than sophomore guard Dykhouse of Zeeland (Zeeland East HS), pictured right, who came in from off the bench. Dykhouse struggled against Alma, scoring four points. He knew he could do better against Calvin.
And he did. Dykhouse was Hope's second-leading scorer on Saturday with 16 points.
"We talked to everybody about execution," said Dykhouse. "We didn't execute well against Alma. We didn't play together. We didn't move the ball. We didn't get inside. With guys like Preston and Ryan [Gamm] down in there with their direction and poise, it allows all the guards to get somewhere, to drop out and create for others. So today that was just a big emphasis, an emphasis in our shootaround before the game."
As for those game-winning free throws by Granger, those are a staple of every basketballer's dreams, he said.
"It was funny. I was on the ground (after the rebound) and saw all of my teammates smiling at me, telling me, 'You got this,'" said Granger of Lansing (Lansing Christian HS). "That is what we imagine growing up, every day in the driveway. I was happy to be in that position and thankfully knock them down."
Joining Granger and Dykhouse in double-digit scoring for the Flying Dutchmen were sophomore guard Evan Thomas of Okemos (Okemos HS) with 14 and junior forward Tyler George of Ada (Forest Hills Central HS) with 11.
Thomas topped Hope with 13 rebounds while Granger grabbed nine.
And while Calvin won the rebound battle (43-40) and the shooting percentage category (48.6% to 40.3%), it was those drives in the paint and free throws that made all the difference. Calvin was just one-for-five from the line.
The Flying Dutchmen are in the middle of a game-laden stretch that has them playing four games in six days. They are on the road again on Monday, Feb. 1 at Albion College at 7:30 p.m., and again on Wednesday, Feb. 3 at Trine University, also at 7:30 p.m.
