Senior guard Zak Silas helped Albion hold off Alma’s surge in the second half with a 3-point field goal seconds after Ryan DeHaan pulled the Scots within seven with 9:40 left in regulation. Silas’ basket pushed the Briton lead up to double digits, and senior forward Evan Way followed with a layup a minute later as the Britons led 58-46 with eight minutes left. Alma would not get closer than nine points the rest of the way.
Silas, who sank all 11 of his shots from the free throw line, finished with 22 points which matched the career-high he originally set in a Jan. 4, 2006 victory over Adrian College. Way provided a spark off the bench with a season-high 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field. Juniors D.J. Mocini and Jim Cash also gave the Britons off the bench with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
“It’s not a sense of relief as much a sense of goodness for our players because they have been practicing hard,” Albion head coach Mike Turner said after collecting the 501st victory of his collegiate career. “There has been a great deal of slippage between the effort in practice and the result in games.”
Defensively, Albion let Isaac Smith, Alma’s top scorer, go off for 28 points, but the Scots were unable to generate a balanced offensive attack. DeHaan finished with 16 points, and Venias Jordan scored 13, but only two other players scored for the Scots.
Albion constructed a 16-6 run over the final six minutes of the first half in building a 39-27 halftime lead. Cash and Way each scored two field goals during the rally.
Albion will play its next two MIAA games on the road, starting with a Jan. 17 date at Kalamazoo College.
ALMA COLLEGE (2-12; 1-3 MIAA) Isaac Smith 11-19 1-4 28; Ryan DeHaan 7-10 1-3 16; Venias Jordan 5-13 0-0 13; David McNally 4-6 0-0 9; Matt Brown 1-6 0-0 3; Buddy Scarborough 0-2 0-0 0; Sam Machuta 0-0 0-0 0; Tyler Wise 0-0 0-0 0; Isaac Thaler 0-0 0-0 0; Josh Caswell 0-0 0-0 0; Lance Gardner 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 28-59 2-7 69. ALBION COLLEGE (3-11; 1-3 MIAA) Zak Silas 5-8 11-11 22; Evan Way 5-8 2-4 12; D.J. Mocini 4-6 1-2 11; Jim Cash 4-10 1-1 10; Bill Leising 1-1 7-7 9; Dean Raven 2-4 4-4 8; Drew Yancey 2-6 1-2 5; Andrew Holms 1-6 0-0 2; Robbie Clark 1-2 0-0 2; Isiah Thomas 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-51 27-31 81. Alma College.................. 27 42 - 69 Albion College................ 39 42 - 81 3-point goals-Alma College 11-20 (Isaac Smith 5-8; Venias Jordan 3-6; David McNally 1-1; Ryan DeHaan 1-2; Matt Brown 1-1; Lance Gardner 0-2), Albion College 4-10 (D.J. Mocini 2-4; Jim Cash 1-3; Zak Silas 1-2; Robbie Clark 0-1). Fouled out--Alma College-None, Albion College-None. Rebounds-Alma College 30 (Isaac Smith 7), Albion College 33 (Jim Cash 9). Assists-Alma College 15 (Isaac Smith 6), Albion College 21 (Dean Raven 5). Total fouls-Alma College 22, Albion College 13. A-424