The sixth ranked Britons jumped out to the early lead thanks in-part to 50 percent shooting from the field in the first half. Albion connected on 15-of-30 shots including four 3-pointers to build the 17-point lead.
LaGrange responded though by outscoring Albion 21-6 to close out the first 20-minutes and cut the halftime deficit to 37-35. The second half would play out as evenly as the first half ended with each team trading punches on the offensive side of the ball. The difference however, as he has been all season, was Albion ’s Brandon Crawford.
The senior scored his eighth double-double of the season as he poured in 30 points, 17 in the second half, and pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds as Albion outscored LaGrange 36-35 in the final 20-minutes to seal the win.
Crawford was the only Briton who scored in double figures but chipping in for Albion was Garrett Gibbons who scored nine points while Zak Silas and Evan Way each scored eight.
LaGrange (4-7) saw three players score in double figures as Demetris Render scored 17, Robby Lawrence added 16 and Justin Hodges chipped in 12. Render also led the Panthers in rebounding with seven boards.
Albion will enjoy some time off for the Christmas holiday before returning to the court on Dec. 28 and 29 for the Holiday Inn Tournament at Kresge Gymnasium at Albion College.
On Dec. 28, the University of Wisconsin Superior will face Elmhurst at 6 p.m. and will be followed immediately by Albion battling Concordia at approximately 8 p.m. Fans unable to make it to Kresge Gymnasium for the tournament are invited to log onto media.albion.edu/sports and join Mike Moore for the play-by-play action. Broadcasts on both days will begin approximately 30 minutes before tip off.