With the victory, Albion boosted its overall record to 10-5. The Britons return to Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association action Wednesday, Jan. 21, when they host Adrian College at Kresge Gymnasium. The junior varsity contest is scheduled to begin at 5:15 p.m., followed by the varsity game at 7:30 p.m. The varsity game is scheduled for internet broadcast at http://media.albion.edu/sports .
Albion broke open a close game with a 15-3 run over a four-minute period (the last 30 seconds of the first half and the first 3-1/2 minutes of the second half). A layup by junior center Will Braaksma gave Albion a 54-52 lead at halftime. The Britons started quickly in the second half, as junior guard Michael Thomas, senior forward Joe Finland, senior guard Sean Davis, and senior forward Jeff Burgess all scored baskets in the lane, and sophomore forward Garrett Gibbons knocked down a three-point field goal. Davis also knocked down a pair of free throws early in the second half.
Albion held a 67-55 lead with 16:20 remaining in the game, and Tri-State would never get closer than seven points the rest of the way.
Albion claimed its largest lead of the afternoon when Braaksma slammed a dunk to make the score 102-85 with 2-1/2 minutes left.
"I was pleased with how our players understood what we were trying to do," Albion head coach Mike Turner said. "We got a lot of easy baskets. Some were in the half court and some were in transition. We played really hard."
Albion finished the game connecting on 61 percent of its shots from the field (43 of 71). The Britons were especially efficient on offense in the second half, knocking down 21 of 32 attempts from the floor. Albion also enjoyed a 49-39 advantage in rebounds.
Six Britons scored in double figures. Finland led the team with 18 points, making 7 of 10 shots from the floor and 4 of 5 shots from the free throw line. Braaksma posted a career-high 17 points on 6 of 9 shooting from the floor and 5 of 5 shooting at the free throw line. Gibbons made 7 of 9 shots from the field for 16 points. Thomas and Davis contributed 13 and 12 points, respectively. Sophomore center Brandon Crawford added 10 points on 5 of 8 shooting from the field.
Also for Albion, junior forward Travis DePree just missed posting another double-double, settling for nine points and a team-high 10 rebounds. Burgess contributed eight points on 4 of 5 shooting from the field, sophomore guard Mike Bailey knocked down a three-point field goal, and senior guard Marcus Gill scored two points.
Tri-State, which fell to 7-7 on the season, received 21 points from Micah Williams. Brandon Appleton scored 14 points for the Thunder.