OLIVET, Mich. – A 14-2 second half run carried Albion College to a 79-67 victory over Olivet College and its first regular season sweep of its Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association rival since the 2008-2009 campaign.

Albion trailed by seven midway through the second half. Lawrence Ridgell (River Rouge/Inkster) hit a pair of free throws to start the Briton comeback. Alex Harville (Clinton Township/De La Salle) made the second of a two-shot opportunity at the line and Ridgell and Zach Hurth (Lansing/Lansing Catholic Central) added old-fashioned three-point plays to pull Albion to a 53-53 tie with 8:51 to play.

Luke Walker (Cedar Springs) gave Albion a lead it would not relinquish with a layup, and Kolin Kazen (Holland/Saugatuck) capped the run with a 3-point basket.

Marquis Childers produced a 3-point basket and a layup to keep Albion from pulling away. Childers' layup cut the Albion lead to 63-60 with six minutes remaining. Paul Lombard's basket kept the margin at three – Albion led 65-62 – with 5:14 to play.

Albion scored on its next four possessions – Hurth hit a pair of free throws, Harville connected from long distance, and Walker tacked on a 3-point basket and a layup – to stretch the margin to double digits with three minutes to play.

Albion started the game on a 7-0 run as Walker scored a layup on the first possession and Hurth added five points with two baskets. The Britons' 14-5 lead melted as Dakotah Ellis, Childers, and Alvino Ashley all hit from 3-point range.

The teams traded the lead seven times until Ashley, Clint Burghdorf, and Matt Smith pushed Olivet on a 7-0 run and a 31-24 lead. Olivet led 33-27 at halftime.

Four Albion starters scored in double figures. Hurth produced a career-high 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field. Kazen collected his second double-double in the past three games with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Harville and Walker finished with 14 and 13, respectively.

Ashley scored a game-high 18 points for Olivet.

Albion, 8-11 overall and 4-04 against MIAA rivals, will challenge its MIAA rivals from the west side of the state during the first days of February. Albion hosts Calvin College Feb. 1 and Hope Feb. 4.

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