KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The Kalamazoo College men's basketball team collected a big win Wednesday evening as the Hornets defeated Calvin University by a final score of 58-53.
The Hornets got on the board quickly this evening as Merritt Hamann found Ben Reiter just 10 seconds into the game to give Kalamazoo the lead from the start. Kalamazoo saw its lead grow to as many as 11 when it was up 21-10 midway through the first half. Calvin fought back to cut its deficit down to as few as two with under four minutes remaining in the half, but the Hornets closed the half on a 6-2 run to take a 33-27 lead into the locker rooms.
After trading baskets for much of the second half, Kalamazoo saw its lead shrink down to just one point with 2:57 to play. A pair of free throws by Tre Humes and a big three-pointer by Jeremiah Vincent pushed the lead back up to six with just 90 seconds remaining. Senior Tanner Blyly iced the game by making two free throws with just 15 seconds on the clock.
Kalamazoo obtained the lead for the entirety of the 40 minutes in the game. The team shot the ball at a 42 percent clip while holding Calvin to just 29 percent from the floor.
Senior guard Tanner Blyly led the Hornets with 15 points, six rebounds, and five assists while playing 37 minutes.
Fellow senior Ben Reiter added nine points while Jeremiah Vincent tallied seven points and seven rebounds.
Forwards Thomas Cook and Merritt Hamann scored eight and seven points, respectively. Hamann collected a team-high eight rebounds.
Kalamazoo wraps up its regular season on Saturday, Feb. 22 when it travels to Alma. The game is scheduled to tip-off at 3 p.m.