Albion College Sports Information Student Assistant
Bolstered by a strong defensive performance, the Albion College men's basketball team rolled to a 64-49 victory over Kalamazoo College in a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association game Wednesday, January 28.
The Britons held the Hornets to 16 field goals in the game and 32-percent shooting. Kalamazoo got more than a fourth of its points from the free-throw line, where it shot 13 of 14.
"I was really happy with our defense. Our guys dominated the boards and caused a lot of turnovers," said Briton head coach Mike Turner.
Albion outrebounded the Hornets 42-31 and caused 17 Kalamazoo turnovers, which it turned into many easy baskets.
The Britons broke open the game in the first half when they used an 18-4 run over eight minutes to turn a two-point lead into a 31-15 advantage with 3:32 remaining. During the spurt the Britons turned seven Kalamazoo giveaways into several easy baskets. Senior forward Joe Finland, junior guard Michael Thomas, and junior forward Travis DePree each scored two buckets during the run. Seniors Jeff Burgess and Marcus Gill each added a basket.
The Britons took a 35-20 lead into the locker room.
DePree led the Britons with 14 points, also grabbing eight rebounds, snatching six steals and blocking three Kalamazoo shots. Thomas scored 12 points and Gill added nine on 4 of 6 shooting. Sophomore forward Brandon Crawford played a strong game in the paint, scoring seven points and grabbing seven rebounds in just 16 minutes of action.
"I felt good about a lot of things. I'm really happy with our team," said Turner, who cited that the only area he wasn't pleased with was Albion's free-throw shooting (12 of 19, 63.2 percent).
With the Britons leading 40-25 with 16 minutes remaining, the Hornets went on a 14-5 run to cut the their deficit to 45-39 with 9:52 remaining. The run was keyed by Phil Weaver, who scored all six of his points during it.
But Albion came right back with a 7-0 run of its own to take a 13-point lead with 7:38 left, and the Hornets never got closer than 11 points the rest of the way. Albion held Kalamazoo to just nine points the final 9:52 of regulation.
Albion seemed to get to all the loose balls, especially down the stretch. On a particular possession, Thomas hustled to grab a rebound off a Burgess miss, and then was fouled as he was clobbered by two Kalamazoo players. After another Albion miss, DePree grabbed a rebound while being elbowed in the head. He missed the front end of a one-and-one, but Burgess grabbed another rebound and dished it to Finland, who knocked down an open jumper.
That possession gave the Britons a commanding 57-43 lead with five minutes remaining.
Albion didn't allow a single Kalamazoo player to score in double figures. Tim Herman and Jevon Caldwell-Gross led the Hornets with nine points apiece, and Chris Elliott added eight.
The win boosted Albion's record to 13-5, 4-2 in the MIAA. The Britons remain in a three-way tie for second in the league with Adrian and Calvin. Kalamazoo fell to 6-12, 1-5.
The Britons continue MIAA play Saturday, Jan. 31 when they host fifth-place Olivet. The Comets handed Albion one of its two conference losses at the beginning of January.