By Scott DeWeerd, '15

The Albion College women's basketball team rode a late second half surge to a 56-45 victory over Spring Arbor University Wednesday night. 

Leading by just two points with less than four minutes remaining, first-year forward Erin Nelson scored five consecutive points spurring an 11-2 Albion run to close out the game. Nelson finished with nine points and five rebounds.

"We were looking to get the ball in the paint," Head Coach Doreen Carden said about the late rally. "We were attacking the basket and getting to the free throw line."

The Cougars were averaging more than 64 points per game coming into the meeting but Albion dominated defensively holding them to just 2-of-21 from beyond the three-point line and 28 percent from the field overall.

"We went with some trap, we went with man, we went with a little zone," Carden said about the different defensive looks her team used to stymie its opponent. "They weren't looking to get the ball inside so we had to adjust. We made their shots difficult."

The Albion offense sputtered in the early going scoring just 13 points through the first 14 minutes of the game, but Mikaela Bromley and Emily DeWaters quickly got the engine running smoothly as the two combined to score Albion's next 10 points to take the lead going into halftime. Bromley racked up 11 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists on the night for her first double-double of the season. DeWaters finished with 12 points and five rebounds in just 15 minutes.

"Mikaela always performs well in practice. We just had to get her to carry that into the game," said Carden. "She always brings a full effort and it really paid off tonight."

With guards Oreyana Curry and Olivia Savage running the show, the Briton offense was flexible and efficient. Albion had 16 assists on 21 made field goals and Savage ended the game with six rebounds and five assists.

"We did a good job pounding the ball," said Carden. "We created good shots, brought a lot of energy, and played team ball."

The Britons are taking a 6-3 record into their Christmas break. Albion's next game is a Dec. 28 date at Bluffton (Ohio) University.