By Scott DeWeerd

Kresge Gymnasium was rocking for Albion College's season opener on Friday night as the Britons notched an 81-70 victory over College of Faith (Ark.) in a game that wasn't quite as close as the score indicated.

"I just want to say thanks to the students and the fans – we had a great crowd tonight. Our guys really fed off of the energy," Albion coach Jody May said. "This was [College of Faith's] fifth game of the year, and we knew they were talented and athletic. I think our depth really wore them down which allowed us to get out and score in transition."

Four Britons scored in double figures, led by Lawrence Ridgell with 17. The senior from River Rouge knocked down 7 of 14 shots from the field.

Travell Oakes chipped in with 16 off the bench in his first game in an Albion uniform. The sophomore from Muskegon was 6 of 7 from the field.

Ryan Watson and Eric Evans finished with 11 and 10, respectively. Jordan Herron came up just shy in his quest for a double-double, settling for 8 points and a team-high 10 rebounds.

When asked about the scoring balance, May responded, "I think that's going to be our identity this year. We have a lot of guys who like to share the ball."

After 15 minutes of back-and-forth action, Ridgell nailed a 3-pointer from the wing to put the Britons up 24-23, and they never looked back. Albion led by as many as 22 points before the Warriors made a run with less than 2 minutes remaining in the game.

Albion will challenge Northern Michigan in the championship game of the Mike Turner Tip-Off College Basketball Classic hosted by the Albion Rotary Club at 4 p.m. Saturday.