Albion College Sports Information Student Assistant
ALBION, Mich. - Behind an all-around tremendous first-half effort, the Albion College men's basketball team routed Olivet College 80-55 in a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association game Saturday, Jan. 31, at Kresge Gymnasium.
The Britons couldn't do wrong in the first half as they shot 22-31 from the field (71 percent), and 7-9 from three-point range (77.8 percent). Albion also outrebounded the Comets 19-13, caused 12 Olivet turnovers, and held the Comets to 4 of 26 shooting (15.4 percent) from the field.
The only area in which Albion struggled in the opening stanza was at the free throw line, where it shot 4 of 7 compared to 10 of 10 for the Comets. The 10 Olivet points accounted for half of its scoring as Albion led 55-20 at the break.
"It was the best half we've played this year. We played tremendous on defense and tremendous rebounding. We were ahead at halftime because of those two things. But we had such a big lead because of our shooting. We just really dominated with our stuff inside. I'm so proud of our guys," said Albion head coach Mike Turner.
The Britons jumped out to a 20-2 lead in the game's initial eight minutes. Sophomore forward Brandon Crawford was especially proficient, scoring 10 points during the run and 21 for the half. Even though he didn't score in the second half, Crawford's 21 was a season-high.
Albion's passing was very precise in the first half as it recorded 15 assists on its 22 baskets. "I thought our passing was good, and I thought our turnovers [that we caused] were good," said Turner.
Albion got several baskets in transition and was pushing the ball so frequently that with four minutes remaining Turner had to tell his energetic team to "slow down."
Albion's two leading scorers, junior guard Michael Thomas and junior forward Travis DePree only scored 11 points in the first half and 16 for the game, but their scoring wasn't needed. Instead, they contributed in other ways. DePree had seven rebounds, six assists and five steals for the game. Thomas had seven assists and two steals.
Twelve Albion players saw action in the first half, with all but two of them scoring. Thomas had seven, sophomore point guard Michael Bailey knocked down two threes for six points and senior guard Sean Davis also had six. DePree along with senior guard Marcus Gill had four apiece, sophomore guard Garrett Gibbons notched a three-pointer, and seniors Jeff Burgess and Joe Finland each had a field goal.
For the game, Crawford was the only Briton who scored in double figures, but it didn't matter. Turner got everyone in the game in the second half, as the Britons cruised.
Perhaps the most electric sequence in the first half—although there were many—occurred midway through the half on back-to-back possessions. First, Thomas hit Crawford on an ally-oop pass for a rim-rattling dunk. Then, on the next possession, with the shot-clock winding down, Thomas pulled up from NBA range to knock down a three. Thomas connected on a similar shot right before the first-half buzzer.
Ronnie Pearson led the Comets with 16 points while Matt Brawley added 12.
Coach Turner believes this victory could serve as momentum heading down the season's stretch run as long as the Britons keep playing team ball. "We're gonna really build on a win like this," said Turner. "We're talking to our guys that they need to continue to work hard and we're gonna do it as a team. We're not gonna do it as individuals. It's a team effort."
The win boosted Albion's record to 14-5, 5-2 MIAA. Olivet fell to 9-9, 3-4.
Albion goes on the road for its next two road games, visiting Calvin Wednesday, Feb. 4 and Hope Saturday, Feb. 7.
Newspaper Box Score Olivet College vs Albion College 01/31/04 3 p.m. at Kresge Gymnasium; Albion, Mich. At Kresge Gymnasium; Albion, Mich. ALBION COLLEGE 80, OLIVET COLLEGE 55 OLIVET COLLEGE (9-9, 3-4 MIAA) Ronnie Pearson 5-11 4-6 16; Matt Brawley 4-11 3-3 12; Steve Johnson 2-7 2-2 6; Eddie Ward 2-3 0-0 5; McKinsey Golfin 1-3 2-2 5; Richard Britton 1-3 0-0 3; Derek Cox 0-5 2-2 2; Travis Schellhammer 1-4 0-0 2; Derek Kurtz 0-1 2-2 2; De'Andre Pruitt 1-8 0-0 2. Totals 17-56 15-17 55. ALBION COLLEGE (14-5, 5-2 MIAA) Brandon Crawford 9-12 3-8 21; Sean Davis 2-4 2-2 8; Joe Finland 4-6 0-0 8; Travis DePree 3-6 2-3 8; Michael Thomas 2-5 2-4 8; Mike Bailey 2-5 0-2 6; Garrett Gibbons 2-4 0-0 5; Marcus Gill 2-4 0-0 4; Jeff Burgess 1-2 1-2 3; Rick Palmer 1-1 0-0 3; Jamison Turnbull 1-2 0-0 2; Zachary Silas 0-1 1-3 1; Evan Way 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 29-53 14-28 80. Olivet College................ 20 35 - 55 Albion College................ 55 25 - 80 3-point goals-Olivet College 6-19 (Ronnie Pearson 2-3; Richard Britton 1-2; Eddie Ward 1-1; McKinsey Golfin 1-1; Matt Brawley 1-6; De'Andre Pruitt 0-4; Derek Kurtz 0-1; Travis Schellhammer 0-1), Albion College 8-18 (Mike Bailey 2-5; Michael Thomas 2-4; Sean Davis 2-3; Garrett Gibbons 1-2; Rick Palmer 1-1; Zachary Silas 0-1; Jeff Burgess 0-1; Travis DePree 0-1). Fouled out--Olivet College-None, Albion College-None. Rebounds-Olivet College 30 (Derek Cox 6; Ronnie Pearson 6), Albion College 38 (Travis DePree 7). Assists-Olivet College 7 (Travis Schellhammer 3), Albion College 22 (Michael Thomas 7). Total fouls-Olivet College 24, Albion College 21. A-624 Brandon Crawford: Albion season scoring high