OLIVET, Mich. – Like the winning jockey in a horse race, Albion College coach Jody May picked the right time to crack the whip to rally his team down the stretch Wednesday night. May's 30-second timeout midway through the second half sparked Albion to erase an eight-point deficit and run away to a 77-69 victory over Olivet College on the opening night of Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association men's basketball action.

            "I wanted the players to concentrate on getting stops at the defensive end," May said of his message during the timeout. "We had to force tough shots and get defensive rebounds.

            "Sometimes they need to be challenged," May said. "I like this group because they have a lot of fight in them. My challenge is to get them to play like that more minutes."

            Olivet used an 8-2 run to build its largest lead of the night. Eric Mack's layup put the Comets on top, 52-44, with 10:35 remaining.

            Albion responded to May's message by reeling off an 14-3 run over the next four minutes to surge to a 58-55 lead. Kolin Kazen made a layup and five free throws, J.C. Cruse added four points on a layup and two free throws, and Kyle McDonald knocked down a 3-point goal.

            Although Olivet trimmed the margin to a single point twice, Albion never surrendered the lead. Cruse tacked on two more free throws and Leonard Wernette-Leff scored a basket in the paint as the Britons extended the lead to five, 64-59, with less than five minutes left. McDonald's "three" with 3:49 left lifted the Britons to a 69-62 lead and they led by at least five from that point on.

            Cruse collected 22 points and 11 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. Chris Hutton and McDonald added 17 and 14 points, respectively.

            Olivet's Michael McClary led all players with 29 points and 12 rebounds.

            Albion will play its next three games at home, starting with a Saturday date with Alma College. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. inside Kresge Gymnasium.