Box Score ALBION, Mich. – Maybe it was because the student-athletes were heading home for a holiday break after the game.
Maybe it was the response from the first loss of the season.
Whatever the cause, Albion College was energized from the jump and it led wire-to-wire in posting a 90-57 victory over Kalamazoo College in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association women's basketball action at Kresge Gymnasium.
Emily Bernas buried a pair of 3-point baskets from the corner and Elena Welker and Amanda Larson chipped in with baskets as Albion sprinted out to a 10-0 lead in the first minute of the game.
Kalamazoo burned a timeout, and Kaytlyn Tidey helped the Hornets recover by hitting 5-of-6 shots from 3-point range in the first quarter. Albion led 28-25 after a wild first quarter.
The Britons found a way to contain Tidey, and she made just one basket the rest of the way to finish with a season-high 19 points.
Rain Hinton and Welker scored six points apiece as Albion outscored Kalamazoo, 17-7 in the second quarter to hold a 45-32 lead at halftime.
Albion shot 50 percent (8-of-16) in the fourth quarter to pull away by outscoring Kalamazoo, 21-8.
Albion Notes
- Hinton led all players in the game with 22 points. She scored on 8-of-12 shots from the field and on all six attempts from the free throw line. It was her fourth 20-point game of the season and the 14th of her Albion career.
- Bernas scored 13 to move her career total to 948. She is five points away from passing Darian Payne, who played from 2013-2016, for 10th place on Albion's all-time scoring list.
- Nicole Sweetland, a first-year guard who prepped at Saline High School, chipped in with a career-high 11 points.
- Albion shot 43 percent (12-of-28) from 3-point range, its second-best performance of the season.
- Albion dished out a season-high 24 assists. Evelyn Wischmeyer led the way with six, matching her career-high.
Next Up
Albion completed the first half of the season with a 9-1 record. The Britons will return to campus Dec. 26 for a practice before flying to Dallas for Dec. 29 and 30 games against the University of Texas at Dallas and Concordia (Texas) University.
Get the latest information on the team by following @AlbionWBB on Twitter and Instagram. General athletics news can also be found at GoBrits on Twitter, AlbionAthletics on Instagram and Albion College Athletics on Facebook.
Joe and Julie Serra have given a $5 million leadership gift to launch a fundraising initiative to make two dreams a reality at Albion College. The first is a newly expanded fitness and student activity facility at the site of the current Dow Recreation and Wellness Center. The second is a new or renovated competition facility for the volleyball, men's basketball and women's basketball teams that currently call Kresge Gymnasium home.
The College is continuing to raise funds in support of both projects. To learn more, call 517/629-0446 or email advancement@albion.edu
