The win combined with Alma's loss to Adrian vaulted the Britons (14-0, 4-0) into sole possession of first place in the MIAA. The Thunder fell to 3-12, 0-4. Albion also extended its school-record winning streak to 14 games.
The lead changed 17 times and the score was tied 16 times. Neither team led by more than six points in the second half and the biggest advantage in the first period was six points for the Britons.
The Britons scored 13 of their final 28 points from the free-throw line, missing just one attempt, a meaningless attempt with three seconds remaining.
"Making 17 of those free-throws (17-of-18 in the second half) down the stretch was unbelievable," said head coach Mike Turner.
Albion took the lead for good on a three-pointer by sophomore guard Zak Silas with 4:42 remaining that made the score 85-82.
The Britons took a six-point lead with 1:47 left on a fastbreak layup by Silas, but the Thunder didn't quit, getting their 11th three-pointer of the day (11-of-39), from Brandon Appleton with 1:36 left to cut the lead to 95-92.
The closet the Thunder got was 97-95 with 32 seconds remaining, but Albion made five free-throws and held the Thunder scoreless until a layup at the buzzer to seal the win.
Albion had six players score in double figures. Senior guard Michael Thomas led the Britons with 19, including 13 of Albion's first 23 points. His performance gave him 1,167 points for his career and moved him past former NCAA President Cedric Dempsey, a 1954 Albion graduate, into 10th place on Albion's all-time scoring list.
Senior forward Travis DePree, coming off a season-high 22 points at Hope earlier this week, scored 16 points, Silas added 15, sophomore guard Lonny Fulse put in 13, 10 in the second half, and junior guard Garrett Gibbons and first-year forward Brian Champine each scored 12 points.
Champine's 12 points was a career-high and he shot 6-of-8 from the field. He played a crucial role late in the first half as he scored 10 of Albion's final 16 points, using a variety of post-up moves and getting second-chance buckets, to help the Britons erase a five-point Tri-State lead and take a 45-43 halftime lead.
Albion was fortunate to lead at the half considering it turned the ball over 17 times. It was helped by the fact that Tri-State shot just 37.5 percent in the period compared to 56.3 by the Britons.
DePree, in particular, struggled taking care of the ball, committing seven turnovers. However, he, like the rest of the team, corrected himself in the second half as Albion turned the ball over just twice.
"To only have two turnovers the last 20 minutes was phenomenal," Turner said. "It was really hard to stay level and watch 17 turnovers in the first half."
Albion needed the much-improved ball-handling in the second half because the streaky Thunder shot the ball much better. Tri-State shot 52.9 percent from the field in the period. For the game Albion, which entered the contest shooting 49 percent, shot 55.2 percent and the Thunder shot 44.6 percent.
Tri-State used a 9-2 run to start the second half and take a 52-47 lead, but the Britons bounced right back, tying the game with 15:34 left on a three-pointer by Silas. From there the game was back-and-forth the rest of the way.
Despite the absence of junior forward Brandon Crawford to a back injury, the Britons managed to outscore the Thunder in the paint 46-38 and got 21 second-chance points to nine for the Thunder.
The Britons outrebounded the Thunder 38-31, and were led by DePree's nine boards, which gave him 643 for his career and vaulted him into fifth place on the all-time rebounds list. Also hitting the glass was sophomore forward Evan Way, who grabbed seven rebounds, and Champine had five including three offensive boards which led to second-chance points.
Despite the fast pace played by Tri-State, Albion held it to just two fastbreak points and scored 10 itself.
Nine out of 11 Britons who saw action scored. Junior guard Rick Palmer scored six, junior guard Mike Bailey put in five, including a big three-pointer that tied the game at 75 with 8:20 remaining and Way scored four, including a huge putback layup with 2:46 left that extended the Albion advantage to 91-86.
In the first half the Britons built a 23-17 lead with 11:40 left behind Thomas' 13 points, but a 9-2 Tri-State spurt tied the game at 25.
Albion will attempt to remain perfect on the season Wednesday, Jan. 19 when it travels to face Adrian. The Britons will then return home Saturday, Jan. 22 for a contest with Alma.
TRI-STATE UNIVERSITY (3-12, 0-4 MIAA) Britain Flowers 5-19 8-9 21; Micah Williams 5-8 6-8 17; Brandon O'Leary 5-9 4-7 14; Brandon Appleton 4-8 0-0 11; David Hutter 5-6 0-0 10; Justin Guy 4-5 0-0 10; Mo Brookins 3-8 0-0 8; Greg Ripple 1-1 1-3 3; John Moore 1-3 1-2 3; Adam Harkiewicz 0-5 0-0 0; Thad Richardson 0-1 0-0 0; Mike Cowper 0-0 0-0 0; Andre Patrick 0-0 0-0 0; Aaron Rehrer 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 33-74 20-29 97. ALBION COLLEGE (14-0, 4-0 MIAA) Mike Thomas 5-7 6-6 19; Travis DePree 7-11 2-2 16; Zak Silas 5-11 4-4 15; Lonny Fulse 4-5 5-7 13; Brian Champine 6-8 0-1 12; Garrett Gibbons 5-10 1-1 12; Rick Palmer 2-4 2-2 6; Mike Bailey 1-4 2-2 5; Evan Way 2-4 0-0 4; Will Braaksma 0-0 0-0 0; Jim Cash 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 37-67 22-25 102. Tri-State University.......... 43 54 - 97 Albion College................ 45 57 - 102 3-point goals-Tri-State University 11-39 (Brandon Appleton 3-4; Britain Flowers 3-13; Justin Guy 2-2; Mo Brookins 2-7; Micah Williams 1-4; Adam Harkiewicz 0-5; Aaron Rehrer 0-1; John Moore 0-1; David Hutter 0-1; Brandon O'Leary 0-1), Albion College 6-19 (Mike Thomas 3-4; Zak Silas 1-4; Garrett Gibbons 1-3; Mike Bailey 1-4; Rick Palmer 0-1; Jim Cash 0-3). Fouled out--Tri-State University-None, Albion College-None. Rebounds-Tri-State University 31 (Brandon O'Leary 6), Albion College 38 (Travis DePree 9). Assists-Tri-State University 15 (Brandon O'Leary 4), Albion College 25 (Mike Thomas 6). Total fouls-Tri-State University 19, Albion College 21. A-727