Tigers Fall To Calvin In NCAA Division III Tournament

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - The Calvin Knights caught fire over the final seven minutes of the first half and pulled away over the final 20 minutes for a 66-51 victory over Wittenberg in the first round of the 2014 NCAA Division III Tournament in a game played at Washington University.

The loss closed the book on Wittenberg's 2013-14 season with an overall record of 21-8. It was the Tigers' first loss in eight first-round NCAA Division III Tournament games under Head Coach Bill Brown, who saw his overall national tourney record fall to 20-12. Wittenberg has received a bye in the first round four other times in Brown's 20-year run at the helm of the program.

Calvin advanced to the second round and a game against the host Bears, who easily defeated Wilmington in the second game of opening night. The Knights improved to 23-5 overall on the 2013-14 campaign.

Over the first 13 minutes of the game, it appeared that Wittenberg and Calvin were on nearly equal footing. After senior guard Steven Newell (Englewood, Ohio/Northmont) drained the third of his three-pointers in the first half at the 7:32 mark, Wittenberg held a 20-18 lead.

Calvin answered with a game-altering 11-0 run that staked the Knights to a 29-20 lead. By halftime, Wittenberg trailed by 12 points, and over the final 20 minutes the Tigers would get no closer than nine points. Calvin led by as many as 21 points midway through the half before Wittenberg's reserves managed to generate some turnovers in the closing minutes.

Calvin had lost six of the previous seven meetings between the two programs, including five of six in NCAA Division III Tournament play. But the Knights were too long at both ends of the floor for the Tigers, who managed just 35 percent shooting from the floor, compared to 50 percent for Calvin.

Wittenberg did win the rebounding battle 35-32, but the Tigers committed 18 costly turnovers. Calvin held a 22-11 edge in points off turnovers for the game.

Individually, Wittenberg was paced by senior guard Zack Leahy (Rossford, Ohio/Rossford) with 15 points. Newell finished with nine points and four assists, while senior post Scott Masin (New Carlisle, Ohio/Bethel) added six points and five rebounds. Also of note was the play of freshman Landon Hormann (West Liberty, Ohio/Salem), who contributed eight points, two rebounds and two blocked shots in 15 effective minutes off the bench.