OLIVET – Albion, sluggish from a string of consecutive days of basketball activity, had just enough energy to earn a 73-63 victory over Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association rival Olivet.
The Britons, who trailed by as many as eight in the first half and by as many as six midway through the second half, ripped off a 12-2 run over the game's final 3 ½ minutes. Jordan Herron scored four of his team-high 18 points down the stretch and Carter Elliott produced an old-fashioned three-point play with 34 seconds left that essentially put the game out of reach.
"We found a way to win," Albion Coach Jody May said after his team improved to 3-0 in road games against league rivals. "We weren't great defensively, but we got enough stops at the end.
"Olivet was the aggressor in the first half and they got us on our heels," May added. "Luckily, many of their shots did not go in."
The lead changed nine times over the first 12 minutes of the game. Olivet went on a 9-0 run over a 2 ½ minute span to hold a 28-20 lead with five minutes left in the first half. Elliott led an Albion surge late in the half with a pair of layups that cut the Albion deficit to 29-26. Lawrence Ridgell tacked on a free throw and a layup in the final minute as Albion trailed 31-29 at halftime.
The score was tied four times in the second half, but Albion did not seize control until the end. Herron's layup gave Albion a 64-63 lead with 2:34 to play and the Britons never trailed from that point on.
Herron grabbed a season-high 13 rebounds to complete his sixth double-double of the season and his fourth in five league contests this season. Elliott, who made 6-of-7 shots from the field, scored in double figures for the fourth time this season with 13 points. Ridgell also produced 13 points.
"Carter had a nice game. He played with confidence," May said.
Olivet's Blake Krum led all players with 22 points.
Albion, which maintained a share of first place in the MIAA with a 4-1 record against league rivals, will complete the first half of its league schedule with home games against Trine University (Jan. 25 at 3 p.m.) and Calvin College (Jan. 29 at 8 p.m.).