ADRIAN, Mich. - At the Merillat Sport and Fitness Center, the Adrian men's basketball team showed sparks of grit and resilience in their second match-up of the season against Calvin University, but at the end of the day, the visiting Knights had put forth all the mettle necessary to come away with an 89-77 conference-win.
Despite five different players finishing with double-figures in scoring, the Bulldogs (3-16, 2-6 MIAA) were, once again, outmatched on the glass, 32-24.
Though far from the first match-up's 55-44 difference on the boards, the Knights still managed to create 11 second-chance points off of offensive rebounds. Adrian, on the other hand, muscled only four on the offensive glass.
The Saturday afternoon headliner got off to a quick start in favor of the visitors, who stormed out to an 8-2 lead. A
Connor Pelham three-pointer got things cooking for the 'Dogs, and with the help of some keen eyesight and good finishes, the home side was suddenly within one possession, down 22-19.
A mini 6-0 run by the Bulldogs pushed them to the brink of their first lead, however, the Knights continued to have an answer for everything Adrian threw at them,
The sharp shooting of
Kendall Chrismon and
Andrew Larson set the black and gold on the right track heading into the locker room, and a
Nick Seifert buzzer-beating lay-up cut the halftime deficit for Adrian down to only four points.
In the second half, the Knights utilized a 13-of-14 showing from the charity stripe to eventually pull away from the scrappy Bulldogs, who despite the loss, still shot an impressive 53.7 percent from the floor.
Chrismon finished the afternoon with a team-high 17 points and six rebounds, while
P'hariz Watkins contributed 16 points and five assists off the bench for Adrian.
The locals begin the final month of the regular-season on February 2 at Olivet College.
Â
Â
