KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Kalamazoo College men's basketball team looked ready from the get-go Wednesday night as it took on Calvin College inside Anderson Athletic Center and the Hornets' poise paid off as they defeated the undefeated Knights, 79-70, in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association action.
Controlling the game throughout its entirety, Kalamazoo trailed just once in the contest as Calvin jumped out to a quick 5-4 lead. But it was all Hornets the rest of the way.
With the Hornets leading 13-10 at the 12:46 mark of the first half, K rattled off a 13-0 run extending its lead to 16, notably its largest lead of the game. The Hornets led 37-28 at the break led by Josh Miller who finished the half with 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting.
In the second half, Miller continued to dominate on the block, with Calvin unable to find an answer for the 6-foot-9 senior out of Grand Rapids. Beginning at the 8:26 mark, Miller scored six straight points in the span of a minute as Kalamazoo led 66-54 with just over seven minutes to play in regulation.
Calvin managed to cut K's lead to as low as five with 1:45 to play but Josh Whitney iced the game down the stretch going 7-of-8 from the charity stripe.
Miller led all scorers with a game-high 25 points. Whitney came just shy of a double-double scoring 11 and dishing out nine assists.
The Hornets shot 57.4 percent from the field and their defensive effort held the Knights to just 34.8 percent shooting.
Kalamazoo closes out its two-game home stand this Saturday when Hope College visits Anderson Athletic Center. Tip is set for 3 p.m.