WESTERVILLE, Ohio – Albion College endured a scoring drought at the worst possible time Thursday and it was the difference in a 73-61 loss to the University of Wisconsin-Platteville in the consolation game of the Smokey Ballenger Tournament.

Albion held a 55-52 lead when Carter Elliott sank a pair of free throws with less than seven minutes remaining. The Britons turned the ball over on their next three possessions and then they misfired on 6-of-7 shots from the field. Albion's lone basket down the stretch was a layup by Luke Walker with 2:11 left, but the Britons were trailing 64-58 by that time.

Platteville didn't have as much trouble on the offensive end late in the game as it scored on 4-of-6 possessions to take control. Rob Stallion's 3-point basket boosted the Pioneers to a 57-55 lead with five minutes left, and B.J. Litz added a pair of free throws and a layup as the margin ballooned to five with 3 ½ minutes left.

Albion overcame a five-point deficit in the final 2 ½ minutes of the first half to forge a 27-27 tie at halftime. The Britons tacked on the first five points of the second half – Elliott hit the second of a two-shot free throw opportunity and made a layup and Lawrence Ridgell knocked down a jumper in the lane – as they led 32-27 two minutes into the period.

Albion led by as many as seven as Kolin Kazen's fast break layup made the score 43-36 with 14 minutes left.

Anthony Wash provided the bulk of Albion's first-half scoring with 14 of his career-high 21 points in the opening 20 minutes. He was able to drive to the lane and knock down 7-of-11 floating jumpers and layup attempts. The Platteville defense limited Wash to just three shots in the second half.

Wash was Albion's only double-figure scorer. Ridgell finished with eight, Elliott produced seven, and Kazen, Walker, and Mike Smith all contributed six points.

Litz came off the bench to lead Platteville in scoring with 15 points. The Pioneer starters – Jake Manning, Eric Gerber, and Brett Stangel – contributed between 10-14 points.

Albion will take a 4-7 record into its Jan. 4 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association opener, a home date against Olivet College at 7:30 p.m.