Albion improved to 15-2 overall and 6-1 in the MIAA to keep pace with Calvin College and Hope College at the top of the league standings.
The Britons used a balanced scoring attack. Senior center Brandon Crawford, junior center Evan Way and senior point guard Mike Bailey each scored 15 for the Britons. Junior guard Zak Silas added 13.
The Britons took the lead for good, 6-5, on a jumper by Silas with 17:55 to play in the first half. Albion then used a 15-2 run spanning 7 minutes to grab a commanding 23-9 advantage midway through the half.
Silas led the early charge, scoring eight of his 12 in the first five minutes.
Olivet cut its deficit to 23-16 with 6:47 left in the half, but the Britons kept the Comets at bay and took a 35-24 lead into the locker room.
Albion showed a killer instinct it has lacked in recent games, jumping on the Comets in the first four minutes of the second half to take a commanding 47-26 advantage. Crawford got the Britons rolling with four points in the first 1:12 of the half.
The Comets cut Albion’s lead to 51-38 with 10:47 to play, but Way scored a layup and Albion led by 15 points or more the rest of the way.
Albion shot 54.3 percent from the field, including 63. 2 percent in the second half. Way led the Britons’ accurate attack, shooting 7-for-8 from the field.
Just like with scoring, the Britons rebounded by committee. Five different Britons grabbed four boards as Albion outrebounded Olivet 29-25. Albion outscored Olivet in points in the paint, 34-22, and second-chance points, 8-4.
Gerald Dozie led Olivet with 16 points. De’Andre Clement added 12.
Albion will return home Saturday, Jan. 28, when it plays host to Adrian College in an MIAA contest. Tipoff of the varsity game is set for 3 p.m.
ALBION COLLEGE (15-2, 6-1 MIAA) Brandon Crawford 6-9 3-5 15; Mike Bailey 3-7 8-9 15; Evan Way 7-8 1-3 15; Zak Silas 4-8 5-7 13; Jim Cash 2-3 0-0 5; Rick Palmer 1-2 0-0 3; Andrew Ruddick 1-1 0-0 2; D.J. Mocini 0-1 2-2 2; Garrett Gibbons 1-4 0-0 2; Drew Yancey 0-3 1-3 1; Dean Raven 0-0 0-0 0; Drew Hilton 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-46 20-29 73. OLIVET COLLEGE (5-13, 1-6 MIAA) Gerald Dozie 6-9 4-5 16; Greg Ravy 4-11 3-4 12; De'Andre Clement 5-8 0-0 12; Derek Kurtz 3-5 1-2 9; Robert Banks 1-3 0-1 3; Antonio Higginbotham 0-1 2-2 2; Eric McCoy 0-3 1-2 1; Jeff Cooper 0-1 1-2 1; De'Andre Pruitt 0-3 0-0 0; Matt Ponik 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-44 12-18 56. Albion College................ 35 38 - 73 Olivet College................ 24 32 - 56 3-point goals-Albion College 3-12 (Jim Cash 1-2; Rick Palmer 1-1; Mike Bailey 1-4; Garrett Gibbons 0-2; Drew Yancey 0-1; Zak Silas 0-2), Olivet College 6-15 (De'Andre Clement 2-4; Derek Kurtz 2-3; Robert Banks 1-2; Greg Ravy 1-3; De'Andre Pruitt 0-1; Jeff Cooper 0-1; Gerald Dozie 0-1). Fouled out--Albion College-None, Olivet College-Eric McCoy. Rebounds-Albion College 29 (Jim Cash 4; Brandon Crawford 4; Garrett Gibbons 4; Drew Yancey 4; Evan Way 4), Olivet College 25 (Gerald Dozie 12). Assists-Albion College 15 (Evan Way 3; Jim Cash 3; Mike Bailey 3), Olivet College 8 (Gerald Dozie 3). Total fouls-Albion College 21, Olivet College 24. A-485