By Scott DeWeerd

Albion dropped to 5-3 in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) play Saturday night after falling just short to Kalamazoo in a game that came down to the final shot. Lawrence Ridgell's three-pointer fell just short as time expired and Kalamazoo snuck away with a 60-58 win. 

"We'll find out what type of guys we are," said Albion Coach Jody May about his team's upcoming stretch which includes four road games. "We started out strong but our backs are against the wall." 

The Britons built an 11 point lead and looked in control early on, but Kalamazoo clawed its way back into it and led 31-30 by halftime. 

"We just lost focus," said May. "We started turning the ball over and missing our shots. Credit to Kalamazoo, though, they have two great players and we just couldn't stop them." 

Adam Peters and Mark Ghafari combined for 43 points and 11 rebounds for the Hornets. 

Eric Evans led the way for the Britons with 18 points and five rebounds while knocking down four of his eight three-point attempts. Lawrence Ridgell added 14 points, Jordan Herron chipped in with nine points and 14 rebounds, and Travell Oakes had five points and 10 rebounds. 

"Carter [Elliott], Travell [Oakes], Jordan [Herron] did a pretty good job today," said May. "We try to pound the ball in the post and we got it down there but give Kalamazoo credit — they played tough, physical defense, and they did it without fouling." 

The Britons worked hard to get good looks but they just couldn't knock the shots down, shooting 35 percent from the field and 29 percent from beyond the arc. 

"We really need to get refocused. We need to get back to the basics," said May. "We need to improve our offensive efficiency. We need to improve defensively. We can rebound better." 

The Britons will see the floor again next Wednesday when they head to Alma College for the Light it up Blue for Autism Game. Tip off is scheduled for 8 p.m.