WESTERVILLE, Ohio - Albion head coach Jody May credited senior guard Corey Wheeler for providing the leadership to carry the Britons to a 71-61 victory over Otterbein University on the opening night of the Smokey Ballenger Classic.

With Wheeler leading the way, Albion held Otterbein without a field goal for a five-minute stretch of the second half as it went on a 12-0 run to forge a 58-46 lead with five minutes to play.

Wheeler finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and four assists.

"I want to single out Corey especially, May said. "We were down and out when they made a run on us. Corey was an emotional leader and he made some plays to bring our team back."

Wheeler ignited the Albion rally with an old fashioned three-point play and then he dished out a pair of nifty assists to Quay Burks.

Albion took advantage of Otterbein's zone defense as frontcourt players Ryan Lowe (14 points), Burks (12) and Adam Davis (10) all scored in double figures.

Nathaniel Collins was Albion's scoring leader with 16. He hit all seven of his shots from the free throw line.

Albion (3-7 overall) will meet Anderson University Saturday night at 7 in the tournament championship game.

Follow the Britons on Twitter: @AlbionMBB