photo by Nathan VankerKlippe Senior Brian Foltis soars over a Flying Dutchman to score two, one contribution to his game total of 14 points.

The words of Hope College’s head basketball coach Glen Van Wieren say it best: “It was not a Hope day.” That day was the day of the most anticipated NCAA D-III game of the year - the day the dramatic Calvin-Hope men’s basketball rivalry claimed another page in the history books as Calvin defeated Hope 95-85 in front of a sell out crowd of 4,500 fans on Saturday, Jan. 20.

After holding the lead for fewer than 30 second in the entire first half, the Knights fought back in the second half and eventually were able to grab onto the lead and strech it to 10 before the clock expired.

Calvin took its first lead of the second half with 15:42 on the clock, after a three point shot by sophomore Bryan Foltice brought the score to 57-56. The Dutchmen answered with a three point basket of their own by senior Kyle VanderWall to put them back on top, 57-59. Calvin senior Nate Burgess put down a jumper with 15:13 remaining, tying the score at 59. Hope was to be outdone, however, and went on a scoring rampage, scoring 10 unanswered points.

The the Knights began to claw their way back, regaining the lead with 8:39 left in regulation play when junior Jon Potvin sunk a basket from three point land making the score 72-71. The momentum was now on Calvin’s side. The student section of the fieldhouse was on their feet as the Knights went on to outscore the Dutchmen 23-14 throughout the remainder of the game.

Photo by Dave Dykhouse Junior Jon Potvin takes the ball up the court in Jan. 20’s thriller against Hope College. Midway through the second half, Potvin sunk a crucial three point basket to give the Knights a lead they would not lose for the remainder of the game.

A major factor in that scoring run was the stellar play of sophomore Jeremy Veenstra. In the last eight minutes of play Veenstra was 10-of-11 from the free throw line, contributed two additional field goals, five rebounds, two steals, one assist and one blocked shot. In the last two minutes of play, the team as a whole made 11-of-14 from the line.

Hope’s head coach Glen Van Wieren attributed his team’s loss to a lack of defense. “Our guys were playing great and then things started to unravel….[Calvin’s] comeback was a total letdown defensively on our part.” According to Van Wieren, defense is played with your feet, mouth and hands.

“Our feet got slower, our mouths got quiet, and our hands got into trouble,” he said. Van Wieren did acknowledge that Calvin played a great ball game. “Calvin is to be congratulated. They stepped it up and made the shots.”

In preparation for the Calvin-Hope game, the Knights did things a little bit differently in practice. The 4,500 yelling fans tend to drown out the yelling on the court, so according to head coach Kevin Vande Streek, the team blared music and practiced hand calls that could be seen and did not need to be heard.

More than just influencing practice, the 4,500 fans, especially the large student section, have an impact on the individual players as well.

“It’s so nice to see, two and a half hours before tip off, the student section full. You definitely feed off of them and their volume,” said Foltice.

When talking about the aura surrounding the Calvin-Hope match-up, Veenstra said, “The noise and the excitement definitely makes a difference. You can’t help but be excited when you’ve got thousands of your peers and classmates cheering you on.”

The team suffered a blow only a few days prior to the game with the news that senior starter and tri-captain Brian Krosschell would be out for the season after having surgery to repair knee cartilage that he had torn in their loss to Albion that Wednesday. However, Krosschell is still a vital part of the team.

Photo by Dave Dykhouse Senior Josh Tubergen proves his dominance down under as he stuffs the ball through the hoop. Tubergen contributed 12 points and nine rebounds in Calvin’s victory over Hope.

“He has great things to say; he’s a great leader. He’s definitely the vocal leader on the team,” said Burgess.

Four of Calvin’s players finished in the double digits after the game against Hope. Veenstra earned a double-double, scoring a career-high 34 points, including 15-of-17 from the line, and grabbed 10 rebounds. He also contributed a total of three assists and three blocked shots. Foltice finished with 14 points, senior Josh Tubergen added 12 points and nine rebounds, and Burgess tallied 10 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals.

The Dutchmen were led by Vander Wall who scored 18 points, followed by sophomore Chad Carlson adding 16 points and three steals, and senior Chad Zagar with 12 points and six assists. Calvin held Hope’s two leading scorers, senior Ryan Klingler and sophomore Don Overbeek, to 10 and nine points respectively.

After the Calvin-Hope game, Calvin went on to defeat Alma 94-80 and Olivet 115-88 before enduring a disappointing loss to Kalamazoo on the road, 79-65 Wednesday night.

The same night, Hope defeated Adrian to regain the coveted top slot in league which they now share with Calvin. Both teams have a 6-2 record in MIAA play. Calvin is currently ranked fifth in the nation in the latest NCAA d3hoops.com poll.

The Knights return to action Saturday, Feb. 3 in the Homecoming game against Orchard St. Mary’s. The game is slated to begin at 3:00 p.m.