Game Notes: Calvin College @ North Central College (11/13/15)

Final Score
Calvin 106, NCC 80

Game Summary
It was a tough opening night for the Cardinals (0-1), who were able to keep pace for the first few minutes and held a 13-10 advantage partway through he first quarter, but the Knights (1-0) rallied back to take control and led 28-20 after one quarter. Calvin would build a double digit lead partway through the second, but a Cardinal rally cut the deficit to 42-39. Calvin would score the next 11 points before NCC answered to pull back within eight at the intermission. It all fell apart in the third though, as after a three point play 20 seconds in, the Cardinals wouldn't score for almost five minutes and the Knights hit shot after shot to turn this one into a laugher. They took their foot off the gas in the fourth, but the Cardinals couldn't rally to make the final more respectable.

Key Stats

• Calvin: Outscored NCC 32-11 in the 3rd quarter. The box score doesn't have an official count, but my math says NCC shot 4-21 in the third quarter, including 0-11 from deep. Meanwhile, Calvin shot 13-23 in the frame to pull away.
• Ali Spayde (Calvin): 10-18 FG (6-9 3PT); 26 pets, 3 reb (1 off), 8 ast, 3 stl. Holy crap. We kept marveling at Spayde's shooting last night, as she got red hot in that third quarter, and she knew it. The crazy part is that she wasn't just gunning. Her threes were in the flow of the offense and she kept dishing to find her open teammates. It was her game last night, and she led Calvin to a good win.
• Anna Timmer (Calvin): 10-14 FG (2-2 3PT), 3-4 FT; 25 pts, 16 reb (5 off), 4 ast. I feel like Timmer went under the radar with Spayde's shooting. Timmer got plenty of open looks and dominated the glass as well, helping minimize the Cardinals' chances while giving her team some extra looks... Not that they needed them.

North Central System Watch

• NCC 3PT: 12-62 (19.4%). It was just one of those nights where the shots weren't falling. They hit eight of 34 in the first half, good for about a 23.5 percent clip, but then went ice cold in the third quarter and stretching well into the fourth before regression to the mean allowed for a few more.
• Calvin Turnovers: 35. Seeing this number, honestly, shocked me, especially when the Cardinals only had 23. Calvin had some struggles with the press and made some bad passes while getting whistled for multiple travels and the like. They also got whistled for a five second in bounding violation. The Cardinals did manage 18 steals on the night, led by four apiece for Erica Buck, Michaela Reedy and Paula Zerante.
• NCC Charges Drawn: 2. Anita Sterling defended her crown admirably, drawing a pair of charges in the first half. She arguably could have had another but was probably in the circle when she was hit. Calvin did a great job adjusting after the fact though.

Final Thoughts
Ultimately, I just have to tip my cap to Calvin. I knew they were good, but it's different when you see them in person. They took advantage of their open looks and earned the win. For the Cardinals, I don't want to overreact to one game, but I think they over relied on the three last night, even if they struggled with layups as well. It was kind of a rude awakening to the year, but to their credit, they didn't give up. Hopefully they'll take from this experience and build on their successes. I'd like to see more of an inside game to take pressure off the shooters.

Overall, a rough game, but just one of 25. They'll be back in action on Friday for the Tip Off Tournament, and I'll have a preview piece on that this week.