By Scott DeWeerd

The Albion College men's basketball team stormed to a 71-41 victory over Adrian College Wednesday night in a game that was over as soon as it began. The Britons opened the game up with a 13-0 run, extended their lead to 34-13 by halftime, and led by as many as 33 points.

Remarkably stingy defense and strict attention to fundamentals set the tone for Albion throughout the game, holding Adrian to just 25 percent from the field, including 21 percent from beyond the arc.

"The last few days we've really gone back to the basics," started Albion Coach Jody May. "We're paying more attention to the little things – playing sound defense, rebounding, taking care of the ball. Our defense was the difference tonight. When we really play defense we can beat anybody."

But the Britons dominated on the offensive side of the ball as well. Albion shot 42 percent from the field and 62.5 percent from beyond the arc while racking up an amazing 18 assists on their 22 made field goals.

"When we get focused on doing the basic things, we get relaxed offensively and we make things happen," May said.

Coach May's emphasis on depth and balance paid dividends yet again as 14 players logged minutes and 12 players put points on the board.

"We're a balanced team," May said. "We talk about it all the time. We're at our best when three or four guys are in double-digits and different guys are stepping up and getting touches. Ryan Watson came off the bench and played really well. Eric Evans is a huge asset. Vince [Hill]…Carter [Elliott]…we're just a deep team with a lot of good basketball players. "

Travell Oakes had a monster performance assuring everyone that he'll be a special player for the Britons in the future. Oakes recorded his first career double-double in just his second career start, racking up 15 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists to just one turnover while shooting 5-for-5 from the field and 5-for-6 from the free throw line.

"There aren't many guys in our league who play or practice as hard as Travell does," May said. "I'm proud of him…really happy for him. He deserves the credit."

The Britons host Olivet for their last home game of the regular season on Saturday, with tip-off slated for 3 p.m.