The Britons, ranked eighth in the latest D3hoops.com poll and third in the latest NCAA DIII Great Lakes Regional rankings, are 21-2 overall and 11-2 in the MIAA. Calvin is now a game back at 10-3 as the Knights will match up with Tri-State in a 3 p.m. contest.
The Britons continued their hot shooting as they torched the nets for 56 percent in the first half and 52.6 percent in the second. Albion also knocked down 26-of-33 free-throws, good enough for 78.8 percent for the evening.
“We got off to a slow start when they made five of six shots to start the game,” said veteran head coach Mike Turner. “That got them energized, but after that we defended them really well. Our defense held them off and our shooter gave us a nice cushion for the rest of the game.”
Leading the way for the Britons was the tough 1-2 frontcourt punch of senior Travis DePree and junior Brandon Crawford. DePree notched 20 points and pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season, while Crawford scored 21 points on a very efficient 6-of-7 from the floor and 9-of-12 from the free throw line. He also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out three assists.
Two other Britons scored in double-figures as sophomore Zak Silas connected for 15 points and senior guard Michael Thomas added 10 points.
“It was a hard fought game, they weren’t going to give the game to us,” Turner said. “It has not been easy for us and we have a big target on our backs.”
Sophomore Anthony Jones led all scorers with 22 points and Mark Barnes had 19 for Alma (10-13 overall, 5-8 MIAA)
Albion will return to action on Saturday, hosting Kalamazoo College for Senior Day festivities, with the junior varsity beginning at 12:45 p.m. and the varsity to follow at 3:00 p.m.