WESTERVILLE, Ohio – Albion College endured a scoring drought at the worst possible time Thursday and it was the difference in a 73-61 loss to the University of Wisconsin-Platteville in the consolation game of the Smokey Ballenger Tournament.

Albion held a 55-52 lead when Carter Elliott (Franklin/Detroit Country Day) sank a pair of free throws with less than seven minutes remaining. The Britons turned the ball over on their next three possessions and then they misfired on 6-of-7 shots from the field. Albion's lone basket down the stretch was a layup by Luke Walker (Cedar Springs) with 2:11 left, but the Britons were trailing 64-58 by that time.

Platteville didn't have as much trouble on the offensive end late in the game as it scored on 4-of-6 possessions to take control. Rob Stallion's 3-point basket boosted the Pioneers to a 57-55 lead with five minutes left, and B.J. Litz added a pair of free throws and a layup as the margin ballooned to five with 3 ½ minutes left.

Albion overcame a five-point deficit in the final 2 ½ minutes of the first half to forge a 27-27 tie at halftime. The Britons tacked on the first five points of the second half – Elliott hit the second of a two-shot free throw opportunity and made a layup and Lawrence Ridgell (River Rouge/Inkster) knocked down a jumper in the lane – as they led 32-27 two minutes into the period.

Albion led by as many as seven as Kolin Kazen's (Holland/Saugatuck) fast break layup made the score 43-36 with 14 minutes left.

Anthony Wash (Redford/Redford Union) provided the bulk of Albion's first-half scoring with 14 of his career-high 21 points in the opening 20 minutes. He was able to drive to the lane and knock down 7-of-11 floating jumpers and layup attempts. The Platteville defense limited Wash to just three shots in the second half.

Wash was Albion's only double-figure scorer. Ridgell finished with eight, Elliott produced seven, and Kazen, Walker, and Mike Smith (Detroit/Crockett) all contributed six points.

Litz came off the bench to lead Platteville in scoring with 15 points. The Pioneer starters – Jake Manning, Eric Gerber, and Brett Stangel – contributed between 10-14 points.

Albion will take a 4-7 record into its Jan. 4 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association opener, a home date against Olivet College at 7:30 p.m.

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