GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Alma College men's basketball team took on #4 ranked Calvin University in Grand Rapids on Saturday, January 20th. The Scots ultimately fell to the Knights by a final score of 89-63.
Calvin would score first in the contest but the Scots scored quickly to match the Knights. Calvin's offense got the ball rolling early putting the Scots into a small deficit, but Alma was able to hang around and battle. A 12-0 run by the Knights would put the Scots down by double-digits as Calvin was showing why they are a top team in the country. Sam Leppien would put an end to the Knights run late in the first quarter as he was able to convert down low in the paint and pull the Scots out of a scoreless drought. Alma would enter the half trailing 48-22 to the ranked Knights.
The Scots then opened the scoring in the second half coming from the charity stripe as Xavier Glenn Jr knocked down both. Tyshaun Walker knocked down a three to compliment the free-throws from Glenn Jr and Connor Riley scored down low to get the offense clicking in hopes of narrowing down the deficit. Alma then proceeded to go on a 9-0 run, cutting into Calvin's lead with just over ten minutes left to play. Both squads would then go basket for basket for a stretch of time, with the Knights keeping their lead throughout. The Scots then fought throughout the rest of the second half, but Calvin proved to be a tough match up and Alma battled to find answers, though the deficit would prove to be hard to overcome. The final score would end up 89-63, and Calving would continue their perfect record in conference play.
The leading scorer for the Scots would be Riley with 19 points in the contest, followed by Walker and Nolan Boffman, each scoring nine. Riley also led the Scots in rebounds with five and tie for the team high in assists with Boffman with three each. Walker finished the game 3-5 from behind the arc as Donovan Collins finished two for three.
Alma will now look to rebound on Wednesday, January 24th, as they travel to The University of Olivet to face off against the Comets. Tip off will be at 7:30 PM.
