By Scott DeWeerd, '15

The Albion men's basketball team came out on the losing end of a nail-biter against Hope College by a final score of 70-64.

Both teams got off to a slow start before Hope's Ben Gardner made the game's first basket at the 16:49 mark. Things picked up from there and Albion slowly built a lead throughout the 15 minutes. With 14 seconds left in the half, Albion Head Coach Jody May drew up a set for first-year athlete Adam Davis who seized the opportunity for a 3-point shot to send the Britons to the locker room with a 35-31 lead. 

The back-and-forth action continued into the second half but a Brock Benson layup spurred a 10-0 run for the Flying Dutchmen. Benson finished with a game-high 19 points while Gardner chipped in with 12.

Despite a valiant effort from the Britons, the staunch Hope defense would prove too much to handle. 

"Those guys were good. They were aggressive and physical and took advantage in the places they could," May said. "They worked hard to get good shots. We just didn't make plays and they did."

Hope had an impressive shooting performance on the day including 50 percent from the floor, 40 percent from beyond the arc, and 24-of-28 from the free throw line. 

"They're great free throw shooters," May said. "There was no surprise there. They tried to get us one on one and it worked for them." 

First-year guard Corey Wheeler showed off his talent scoring six points on a trio of difficult shots and playing spectacular defense throughout the afternoon. 

"Our freshmen are adjusting well," May said. "We're starting to see glimpses of how good they can be."  

Travell Oakes finished the game with 13 points and seven rebounds while shooting 50 percent from the field. Dakota Kazen added 10 points including two three-pointers to go along with five rebounds and four assists. 

The Britons return to the floor Wednesday when they head to Adrian College for a game slated for 6 p.m.