GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Tyler Kruis scored 12 of his 18 points in the final 4:50 of the first half as Calvin College built a seven-point halftime lead and went on to score a 64-55 victory over Albion College in a semifinal game in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Men's Basketball Tournament.
Calvin sprinted out to an early 8-2 lead as Albion misfired on its first six shots from the field.
The Britons recovered with a 5-0 run as Zach Hurth buried a 3-point basket and Lawrence Ridgell produced a layup. Albion trailed 18-16 with eight minutes left in the first half and had five possessions to forge a tie or take the lead.
That's when Kruis took over. He scored five quick points as Calvin extended the lead to 23-16. His second 3-point basket of the half and a pair of free throws powered the Knights to their largest lead of the first half, 32-22, with 1:10 on the clock.
Calvin led by as many as 13 in the second half. Albion made one final surge with a 6-1 run to whittle the deficit to six. Albion had chances to get closer, but it missed six shots. One telling series came when the Britons hustled for three offensive rebounds – one by Jordan Herron and two by Travell Oakes – but failed to score.
"We defended better in the second half, but they made key shots down the stretch," Albion Coach Jody May said. "If we score on two of the three possessions when we were down six, we could have put some pressure on them."
Herron and Lawrence Ridgell, the only senior on the Briton roster, led the starters with 13 points apiece. Eric Evans chipped in with 13 points off the bench. Carter Elliott also had a productive night off the bench by making all four of his shots for eight points.
Calvin's Jordan Brink led all players with 21 points.
"We were picked to finish eighth in the MIAA by the coaches," May said. "We finished third and that is a big step, but I don't want to leave here claiming a moral victory.
"I thanked Lawrence for his passion to Albion basketball. If we take a piece of that, we'll take another step (next season)," May added.