By Scott DeWeerd

Albion College came out on the wrong end of a thriller Saturday night in a 71-69 loss to Alma College. Alma's Brandon Krause knocked down a contested jumper with 5 seconds remaining to produce the final margin. The loss dropped Albion to 7-6 on the year and 1-1 in conference play.

The Britons got strong play inside from Carter Elliott, Jordan Herron, and Travell Oakes — the trio combined for 37 points and 27 rebounds. Elliott notched the first double-double of his career. As a team, Albion gathered an offensive rebound on 35 percent of their misses, and ultimately out-rebounded Alma 42-32. Unfortunately, however, the Britons couldn't capitalize on their second-chance opportunities.

"We make it a point of emphasis to crash the boards," said coach Jody May. "We also make it a point of emphasis to finish our shots around the basket, which we didn't do tonight, and that was our biggest issue. We need production out of those guys."

Albion got a solid performance out of guard Dakota Kazen, the only guard to hit a shot from beyond the arc. He went 3-for-4 from 3-point-range, including a clutch shot with 25 seconds left to tie the game at 69 after an Albion full-court press forced a turnover. Kazen ended the game with 9 points and 3 rebounds.

Albion looks to bounce back from the loss Wednesday, Jan. 15th, when it meets Hope College at Kresge Gymnasium. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m.