By Scott DeWeerd

Eric Evans had 17 points and 5 rebounds for Albion College in a 62-59 loss to Heidelberg (Ohio) University Tuesday night.

Jordan Herron added 15 points and 7 rebounds for the Britons, and Carter Elliott tied his season-high with 10 rebounds to go along with 8 points.

Heidelberg got the tempo of the game in its favor and it held Albion to just two field goals in the final 11 minutes of the game, during which the Student Princes went on a 21-10 run capped by a Mike Petrie 3-pointer from the corner to seal the victory with 7-seconds remaining – leaving enough time for Albion to make one final charge, but Evans' long 3-point attempt to tie the game fell short, sending the Britons to 4-1 on the season. 

"All credit goes to Heidelberg," said Albion Coach Jody May. "They were aggressive, they were tough, and we didn't respond very well. They didn't let us get in our comfort zone, and we turned the ball over a lot."

Heidelberg's defense featured a well-executed half-court trap that forced Albion into a season-high 20 turnovers, six above its season average coming into the game.

And when Heidelberg wasn't forcing turnovers, it rushed Albion into bad shots – the Britons shot 36 percent from the floor overall and 25-percent from beyond the arc.

"We just didn't finish," May said. "There were few possessions where he had open shots, and we didn't finish; few possessions where we had point-blank shots, and we didn't finish.

"Once you start winning games, you have a target on your back," May added. "You get complacent, and when you have that mental approach you're bound to get beat."

Heidelberg took an early punch to the mouth, trailing by as many as 9 points with 12 minutes to go in the first half. But the well-coached and disciplined team never lost focus, sticking around just long enough to pounce on the Britons and take the lead when the opportunity showed itself.

The Briton men will return to the court on Friday, Dec. 6, when they travel to Chicago to take on the Tigers of Trinity College (Texas). Tipoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.