Silas produced 20 points off the bench, hitting all seven of his shots from the field (including five three-point field goals). Crawford posted his fifth double-double of the season with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Junior guard Garrett Gibbons also scored in double figures for the Britons with 11 points.
Albion trailed for just 30 seconds in the contest. Leading 16-11 midway through the first half, the Britons went on an 8-1 run to build a double-digit advantage at 23-12. Silas started the rally with a free throw, followed by a jumper from senior forward Travis DePree and two layups by Crawford. Albion went on to take a 34-20 lead at halftime.
The Britons never allowed Olivet to close the margin in the second half. Derek Kurtz sank a layup to pull the Comets within eight, 37-29, but the Britons reeled off the next nine points to build a 17-point cushion. Senior guard Mike Thomas scored five points on a layup and three-point field goal.
Albion later went on a 13-4 run over a four-minute span to take the lead up to 21, 64-43, with 5:47 left. Silas banked in a three-point field goal to give Albion its largest lead of the night, 72-47, with three minutes left.
Olivet fell to 6-6 on the year. Ronnie Pearson, De'Andre Pruitt, and Will Lee scored 10 points apiece for the Comets.
Albion now faces an important stretch with its next two games on the road. The Britons begin Saturday, Jan. 8, with a 3 o'clock game at Calvin College.
OLIVET COLLEGE (6-6, 0-1 MIAA) Ronnie Pearson 4-7 2-4 10; De'Andre Pruitt 4-11 1-2 10; Will Lee 4-7 0-0 10; De'Andre Clement 2-8 0-0 6; Jeremy File 2-4 1-1 6; McKinsey Golfin 2-4 1-2 5; Derek Kurtz 1-3 1-2 3; Antonio Higginbotham 1-6 0-0 2; Andy Storey 0-0 0-0 0; Steve Johnson 0-0 0-2 0; Robert Banks 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 20-52 6-13 52. ALBION COLLEGE (11-0, 1-0 MIAA) Zak Silas 7-7 1-2 20; Brandon Crawford 6-10 7-9 19; Garrett Gibbons 5-9 0-0 11; Travis DePree 4-7 0-0 9; Mike Thomas 2-12 1-2 6; Mike Bailey 1-4 1-2 4; Evan Way 0-2 3-4 3; Lonny Fulse 1-2 0-0 3; Rick Palmer 0-2 1-2 1; Will Braaksma 0-0 0-0 0; Jamison Turnbull 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-55 14-21 76. Olivet College................ 20 32 - 52 Albion College................ 34 42 - 76 3-point goals-Olivet College 6-24 (Will Lee 2-4; De'Andre Clement 2-5; Jeremy File 1-3; De'Andre Pruitt 1-5; Robert Banks 0-1; Antonio Higginbotham 0-2; Derek Kurtz 0-2; McKinsey Golfin 0-1; Ronnie Pearson 0-1), Albion College 10-18 (Zak Silas 5-5; Mike Bailey 1-3; Mike Thomas 1-4; Travis DePree 1-1; Lonny Fulse 1-1; Garrett Gibbons 1-2; Rick Palmer 0-2). Fouled out--Olivet College-None, Albion College-None. Rebounds-Olivet College 28 (De'Andre Pruitt 7), Albion College 37 (Brandon Crawford 11). Assists-Olivet College 10 (De'Andre Pruitt 3), Albion College 19 (Travis DePree 7). Total fouls-Olivet College 18, Albion College 12. A-223