Silas carried Albion in the first half, knocking down four 3-point field goals to score 16 of his 19 points. Crawford took over the in the second half, going 10-of-14 from the free throw line for 16 of his 19 points that moved him up to ninth on Albion’s all-time scoring list with 1,183 points. Crawford also pulled down 11 rebounds to complete his 16th double-double of the season. Junior forward Evan Way also made a significant contribution in the second half with six points and five rebounds. Way finished the day with eight points and 10 rebounds.
Albion scored the first five points of the game and never trailed in the first half. Silas sank a pair of 3-point field goals as the Britons held an 18-11 lead with 8:49 left in the first half. Kalamazoo rallied to tie the score at 18, but Silas rescued the Britons with two more “threes” and a layup in the final 3 ½ minutes of the half and Albion held a slim 26-25 lead at halftime.
A 7-0 spurt put pushed the Albion lead to eight, 37-29, with 15:47 remaining in the game. Way ignited the rally with two baskets, followed by a Silas layup and a Crawford free throw.
Kalamazoo would not go away on its senior day and the Hornets went on a 12-3 run, forging a 41-40 lead on Phil Weaver’s layup with 9:17 remaining. The Hornets led 50-47 on Pat Clancy’s jumper with five minutes left.
Albion made only one field goal down the stretch, but the Britons went 11-of-14 from the line to come back for the victory.
Clancy led Kalamazoo (9-14 overall, 6-6 MIAA) with 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field. Kyle Konwinski added 12 points.
Albion (18-4 overall, 9-3 MIAA) continues league play on the road when it travels to Grand Rapids next Wednesday for a rematch with Calvin College.
ALBION 59, KALAMAZOO 55 ALBION (18-4, 9-3 MIAA) Brandon Crawford 3-8 13-18 19; Zak Silas 7-14 1-2 19; Mike Bailey 2-7 4-4 9; Evan Way 3-5 2-3 8; Garrett Gibbons 0-1 2-2 2; Jim Cash 1-4 0-0 2; Drew Yancey 0-2 0-0 0; Andrew Ruddick 0-1 0-0 0; Rick Palmer 0-0 0-2 0; D.J. Mocini 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 16-43 22-31 59. KALAMAZOO (9-14, 6-6 MIAA) Pat Clancy 5-8 0-0 13; Kyle Konwinski 4-10 2-2 12; Henry McCain 4-9 1-3 9; Brad Brinkman 3-7 1-3 7; Phil Weaver 3-6 0-0 6; Tim Herman 2-6 0-2 5; Adam Bezemek 1-1 0-0 2; Mat Kellogg 0-1 1-2 1; Tyler Worst 0-2 0-0 0; Roger Garfield 0-0 0-0 0; Damon Krohn 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 22-52 5-12 55. Albion........................ 26 33 - 59 Kalamazoo..................... 25 30 - 55 3-point goals-ALBION 5-13 (Zak Silas 4-6; Mike Bailey 1-3; Jim Cash 0-2; Drew Yancey 0-1; D.J. Mocini 0-1), Kalamazoo 6-19 (Pat Clancy 3-6; Kyle Konwinski 2-5; Tim Herman 1-4; Tyler Worst 0-1; Damon Krohn 0-2; Henry McCain 0-1). Fouled out--Albion-None, Kalamazoo-None. Rebounds-Albion 40 (Brandon Crawford 11), Kalamazoo 29 (Kyle Konwinski 6; Henry McCain 6). Assists-Albion 10 (Mike Bailey 5), Kalamazoo 12 (Kyle Konwinski 5). Total fouls-Albion 14, Kalamazoo 20. A-690