From Case Western Reserve University Athletics
Case Western Reserve University sophomore guard Antonio Ionadi scored a career-high 24 points and junior forward Michael Hollis notched his second double-double of the season, as the Spartans shot their way to an 80-57 victory against Kalamazoo College at Horsburgh Gymnasium in Cleveland, Ohio on Saturday afternoon.
The win was the second-straight for the Spartans and their third in the last four games, as the team improved to 6-2 overall. Kalamazoo suffered its seventh-straight loss, falling to 2-7 for the campaign.
The Spartans connected on 16-of-42 three point attempts in the game, a 38.1% clip from long range, marking the most three-pointers the team has made in a game since connecting on 18 against Brandeis on January 26, 2018. Just a game removed from scoring a season-high 19 points against Adrian College on Tuesday, Ionadi connected on six-of-10 three-pointers (one shy of the program's single-game record) and made seven-of-12 shots overall to lead the Spartans in scoring for the second-straight game. Hollis finished the day with 12 points and 15 rebounds (his fourth double-figure rebounding effort of the year and the second-highest single-game rebound total of his career), while also pacing the Spartans with five assists and three steals.
Adding to CWRU's offense on Saturday was freshman forward Ryan Newton, who made a career-high four three-pointers on six attempts, and finished the game with 14 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore guard Michael Volkening rounded out the team's double-figure scorers against Kalamazoo, tallying 10 points, six rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal.
After playing a close game through the first 12 minutes, the Spartans began to pull away from the Hornets. A three-pointer by Hollis with 7:50 to play in the first half, gave CWRU a 16-15 lead, and the Spartans would not trail again in the game. The Hollis triple started a 14-0 run for the Spartans over the next two minutes, capped off by a pair of threes by Newton. Two more three pointers by sophomore guard Ignas Masiulionis helped the Spartans take a 15-point advantage, 37-22, with 1:59 remaining in the half. Case Western Reserve would carry a 37-26 lead into the break.
Kalamazoo quickly trimmed the lead back to seven after scoring the opening four points to start the second half. However, a 10-2 spurt by the Spartans extended their lead to 47-32 by the 16:32 mark, and the team would maintain a double-digit lead for the remainder of the game. CWRU grabbed a game-high 27-point lead after a pair of free throws by Hollis with 8:32 to play, and went on to close out a 23-point win, the team's second-largest margin of victory this year.
CWRU outrebounded Kalamazoo 54-37 on Saturday and held a 25-21 edge in bench points. The Spartans' defense also held an opponent to under 30% shooting for the second-straight game, restricting the Hornets to 29.8% from the floor and 28.6% from three point range. CWRU limited Kalamazoo to its second-lowest point total of the year and over 23 points below its season average.
Ben Reiter led the Hornets with 13 points in the game.