Anderson Locks Up Victory Against Calvin

The Anderson University men's basketball team locked up an 87-81 victory against Calvin University on Wednesday at O.C. Lewis Gymnasium.
 
Calvin falls to 1-2 after facing a tough schedule. The Knights handed Illinois Wesleyan University (3-1) an 89-83 loss before falling to Augustana College (3-1), ranked No. 17 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) preseason poll, in a 70-67 decision. In addition to facing a quality Calvin team, the Ravens (2-1) had to figure out how to shut down Calvin's Derrick DeVries. DeVries was named the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Player of the Week after averaging 26 points and 8.5 rebounds last week.
 
"This was a big win for us. It was a big win in part because Calvin is a very good team," Coach Owen Handy said. "I believe Derrick DeVries is an all-American talent and he is really, really hard to guard."
 
Anderson responded to a 75-68 loss to Kalamazoo College (2-2). The Ravens were tied with Kalamazoo with 2 minutes, 47 seconds remaining and trailed by three with the possession in the final minute.
 
"It is also a big win because of the growth our team has shown over the past three weeks. We had a disappointing loss last Saturday, but we showed up and really worked in practice to continue to grow as a team."
 
Calvin rolled to a 46-18 rebounding advantage and topped the Ravens in second-chance points by a 29-2 margin.
 
"We are not as consistent and connected as we need to be defensively, but we are starting to develop the defensive confidence that comes from knowing we can get big stops when we need them. The next step is to do a better job of finishing our possessions to a rebound."
 
The Ravens committed just seven turnovers while the Knights turned the ball over 15 times. Anderson outscored Calvin 13-12 off turnovers.
 
Malik Laffoon (Bloomington, Ind./Bloomington North) led the Ravens with 25 points. The senior guard from Bloomington knocked down 10-of-12 (83.3 percent) shots from the floor.

Austin Lyons (Anderson, Ind./Lapel) tallied 20 points. Maurice Knight (Frankton, Ind./Frankton) recorded 20 points, four blocks and six rebounds.
 
Anderson led by three with 2 minutes, 54 seconds remaining. Lyons knocked down a 3-pointer with 2:40 remaining. The sophomore from Anderson then added another bucket with 2:20 left to put the Ravens up 82-74.
 
"We got some really good performances offensively from Malik Laffoon (Bloomington, Ind./Bloomington North), Maurice Knight (Frankton, Ind./Frankton), and Austin Lyons (Anderson, Ind./Lapel). I thought Malik carried us in the first half, and Austin made a couple of huge baskets down the stretch tonight to protect our lead. Maurice has been really good all year. He has been so consistent with his shot making and is really growing into being a guy who consistently makes quality decisions when the ball is in his hands."
 
Dalton DuBois (Plainfield, Ind./Cascade) contributed 10 points and six rebounds. Jake Gudorf (Brookville, Ohio/Brookville), Michael Rogers (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central) and Ronny Williams (Anderson, Ind./Liberty Christian) rounded out Anderson's scoring with four points apiece.
 
Thad Shymanski produced 30 points and eight rebounds for the Knights. He also converted 7-of-8 (87.5 percent) shots from the free-throw line. DeVries posted a double-double with 25 points and 11 rebounds. Emmett Warners blocked three shots while DeVries and Nate Minderhoud added two blocks apiece.
 
Anderson goes head-to-head with Hope College (2-0) on Saturday at 5 p.m. in Holland, Mich.
 
"The exciting thing about this team is the amount of room we have to continue to grow."