Calvin Defeats Willamette, 81-76, to Win Tipoff Tournament

By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director, (503) 370-6110

GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. -- Calvin College scored the game's final six points, as the Knights foiled Willamette University's comeback efforts and defeated the Bearcats, 81-76, in the championship game of the Calvin Tipoff Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 19 at Van Noord Arena. Calvin won the tournament title and upped its record to 2-1 on the season, while Willamette fell to 1-1.

Calvin led 73-66 with 4:52 remaining in the game, but the Bearcats took a 76-75 lead on a layup by Terrell Malley (Jr., G, Portland, OR/Roosevelt HS) with 2:16 left.

The Bearcats' 10-2 run started with a jumper and foul shot by Taylor Mounts (Sr., Wing/Post, Kailua, HI/Iolani School). It also included a free throw by Ryan Meehan (Sr., Wing, Beaverton, OR/Beaverton HS/MSU-Billings), a layup from Kyle McNally (Fr., Post, Salem, OR/Sprague HS) and a basket by Malley before the go-ahead layup.

The Knights scored the game's final six points. Tyler Kruis began the run by hitting two free throws with 1:39 to go, as Calvin moved in front, 77-76.

On Willamette's next two possessions, Mounts missed a 3-pointer with 1:27 left and Trevor Bos (So., G, Lakewood, CA/St. John Boscoe HS) missed a 3-pointer with 46 seconds remaining. In between, Tom Snikkers missed a jumper for Calvin. Kruis added two insurance points for the Knights on a layup with 10 seconds remaining.

WU trailed 79-76 with a chance to tie the game and force overtime. Mounts missed a 3-pointer with four seconds left. Snikkers, who was chosen as the Tournament MVP, sank two free throws for Calvin with two seconds to go.

Also named to the All-Tournament Team were Mounts from Willamette, Raysean Johnson from D'Youville College (N.Y.), Zach Shutte from Grace Bible College (Mich.) and Mitch Vallie of Calvin.

Mounts scored 25 points against D'Youville on Friday and added 20 points versus Calvin on Saturday. He was WU's leading scorer in both games. Against Calvin, he made 8 of 18 field goals, grabbed six rebounds and blocked two shots. He averaged 22.5 points and 9.5 rebounds during the tournament.

Other Bearcats with double-figure scoring against Calvin were Malley and Meehan. Malley tallied 16 points and led Willamette with four assists. Meehan scored 14 points on 5 of 12 shooting and topped all players with four rebounds.

Noah Ripley (So., Post, Springfield, OR/Springfield HS) of WU produced eight points and grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds. He is the team's leading scorer with 22 rebounds so far this season. Derek Newhof (Fr., G, Mercer Island, WA/Mercer Island HS) also scored eight points against the Knights, while earning three assists and two steals.

Kruis topped the Calvin scoring chart with 19 points. He also led the Knights with 11 rebounds. He was 6 of 9 from the field and 7 of 8 at the line.

Snikkers contributed 16 points and seven boards, while Vallie scored 10 points and hauled down six rebounds. David Rietema supplied the Knights with eight assists, while Bryan Powell earned five assists.

Willamette finished with four more field goals than the Knights (31 to 27). Both teams hit six 3-pointers, although Calvin was 6 of 15 (40.0%) and Willamette was 6 of 28 (21.4%).

The Knights gained an edge with a 53-38 rebounding margin and also took 18 more free throws than the Bearcats. Calvin hit 21 of 29 charity shots (72.4%), while the Bearcats sank 8 of 11 free throws (72.7%).

Calvin led by as many as 11 points in the first half at 38-27 with 4:59 on the clock. Willamette pulled back within four points, 43-39, on a layup by Ripley at the 1:26 mark, but the Knights scored the final three points of the half for a 46-39 lead. Snikkers led all players with 12 points in the first 20 minutes.

In the consolation game, Grace Bible College (Mich.) defeated D'Youville, 100-67, to take third place.

Willamette will return to action when the Bearcats host the Capital City Classic at Cone Field House on Friday, Nov. 25 and Saturday, Nov. 26. WU will open the classic against Montana Tech at 7 p.m. (PST). The other first round game will match Corban University against Western Oregon University at 5 p.m. (PST) on Friday.