The Britons stormed out to a double-digit lead early in the first half due to scorching shooting, particularly from the outside. Albion hit seven of its first eight shots, four of them three-pointers, to grab an 18-6 lead five minutes into the contest. Senior guard Michael Thomas hit two threes, junior forward Brandon Crawford hit a layup and a putback, sophomore guard Lonny Fulse made a three-pointer and a jumper and senior forward Travis DePree knocked down a three to give Albion the 12-point advantage.
Adrian cut the lead to nine three times in the following three minutes, but after a jumper by sophomore forward Evan Way gave Albion a 24-13 lead with 11:31 left, the Bulldogs never got back within single digits.
Adrian cut the lead to 35-24 with 4:21 left in the half, but Albion quickly scored six consecutive points, four on free throws by Way, to take a commanding 41-24 lead with 2:28 left in the half.
After Adrian cut the lead to 41-27 with 2:02 left on a three-pointer by Andy Kubish, but Albion ended the half on a 6-1 spurt, all scored by Thomas, to take its biggest lead of 19, 47-28, to the locker room.
Albion shot 72 percent in the first period, its best shooting half of the season. It missed just seven field goals, shooting 18-of-25, and was 6-of-7 from behind the arc. It also assisted on 12 of the 18 field goals.
Thomas said that the Britons, who dropped a 71-67 overtime decision at Adrian earlier in the season, were eager for the contest.
“This was the most energy we’ve had in the locker room before a game in a while,” Thomas said. “We’ve been getting focused. Every practice since the Tri-State game (Tuesday) has just been more intense. It was real fun.”
“We’re already focused on Alma right now,” Thomas added of Albion’s next MIAA contest, Wednesday, Feb. 16 on the road at Alma.
Thomas led four Britons in double figures with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including 4-of-5 from three-point range. The output gave Thomas 1,276 points for his career and boosted him past Dwayne Johnson (1982-86) into fourth place on the Albion all-time scoring list.
“It’s a big accomplishment,” Thomas said. “I hadn’t really been thinking about it. It’s real special. It makes me feel good. Any space I got I was pretty much looking to score.”
Of hitting his first two shots, both three-pointers, Thomas said, “It just boosts your confidence.”
Way scored a career-high 12 points, including a 6-of-6 performance at the free-throw line, and Fulse and Crawford each added 11 points. Crawford also grabbed 12 rebounds, giving him his 11th double-double of the season.
DePree, despite scoring just five points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out seven assists. DePree also had three of Albion’s season-high six blocked shots.
For the game Albion shot 58.8 percent from the field compared to 38.7 percent for Adrian.
Albion quickly extended its halftime advantage by starting the second period on a 5-0 run to take a 52-28 lead with 17:19 remaining. Thomas hit a three-pointer and Way made two free throws to account for the spurt.
Albion took its biggest lead of the game, 59-33 with 14:19 left on a jumper by Thomas, but Adrian responded with a 7-0 spurt to cut the score to 59-40 with 11:31 remaining.
Albion came right back with a 7-0 spurt, led by four points from Fulse, to take a commanding 66-40 lead with 9:37 remaining.
By then it was too late for the Bulldogs. They cut the lead to 19 four more times, before ending the game with seven points to make the score 80-67.
Crawford played especially strong in the paint in the second half, grabbing 10 of his rebounds. Albion outrebounded Adrian 36-32 and outscored it in the paint, 38-22.
Adrian was led by Adam Novak, who scored 21 points. Brian Schaefer added 13 and Billy Collins Jr. put in 11.
Albion (20-2, 10-2) remains tied with Calvin College, a 97-66 winner over Alma, for the lead in the MIAA.
ADRIAN COLLEGE (11-11; 6-6 MIAA) Adam Novak 8-12 3-4 21; Brian Schaefer 4-13 2-2 13; Billy Collins Jr. 4-10 2-5 11; Mark Bohlen 2-6 0-0 5; Andy Kubish 2-5 0-0 5; Steve Thornton 1-1 2-2 4; Jeff Nokovich 1-4 1-2 4; Ian Weber 1-1 0-0 2; Mike Lewis 1-4 0-0 2; Nick Clark 0-3 0-0 0; Anthony Thornton 0-1 0-0 0; Mario Johnson 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 24-62 10-15 67. ALBION COLLEGE (20-2; 10-2 MIAA) Mike Thomas 7-11 1-1 19; Evan Way 3-5 6-6 12; Lonny Fulse 5-6 0-2 11; Brandon Crawford 5-7 1-4 11; Zak Silas 3-6 0-0 7; Brian Champine 2-4 3-6 7; Mike Bailey 2-4 0-0 5; Travis DePree 2-7 0-1 5; Garrett Gibbons 1-1 0-0 3; Will Braaksma 0-0 0-1 0; Jamison Turnbull 0-0 0-2 0; Jim Cash 0-0 0-0 0; Rick Palmer 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 30-51 11-23 80. Adrian College................ 28 39 - 67 Albion College................ 47 33 - 80 3-point goals-Adrian College 9-31 (Brian Schaefer 3-9; Adam Novak 2-2; Mark Bohlen 1-5; Billy Collins Jr. 1-5; Andy Kubish 1-3; Jeff Nokovich 1-3; Nick Clark 0-2; Anthony Thornton 0-1; Mario Johnson 0-1), Albion College 9-14 (Mike Thomas 4-5; Lonny Fulse 1-2; Zak Silas 1-2; Garrett Gibbons 1-1; Travis DePree 1-1; Mike Bailey 1-3). Fouled out--Adrian College-Jeff Nokovich, Albion College-None. Rebounds-Adrian College 32 (Adam Novak 12), Albion College 36 (Brandon Crawford 12). Assists-Adrian College 16 (Jeff Nokovich 5; Brian Schaefer 5), Albion College 21 (Travis DePree 7). Total fouls-Adrian College 18, Albion College 17. A-981