Box Score Albion, Mich - A second-half surge from the Britons falls short in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association tournament semi-final as they fall to Trine 77-73. The Thunder started on a 10-2 run and continued to maintain steam for the remainder of the first half.
What seemed to be automatic from Trine, did not seem to go the same way for the Britons. Albion struggled to get going in the first half, shooting 38.9% from the field and going 1-7 from beyond the arc.
"They came out and were really ready to play. They were hungry, and in the first half, we gave up 43 points, and we didn't stop them on anything. There wasn't one phase of their offense that we took away. They were moving faster than us and executing better, and we were lucky to be within 13 (at the half)," said Head Coach Jody May.
Albion went into the locker room trailing 43-30 after a strong showing from the Thunder in the first 20 minutes. It was a second-half that seemed as if it was going to go down the same path as the first. Trine came out in the second-half without missing a stride over the first couple of minutes. An 8-0 run by the Britons with four coming from Jamezell Davis Jr, and four coming from Caden Ebeling brought it back within 10 with 14:13 left in regulation.
The Britons continued to chip away at the Thunder lead over the next 11 minutes and eventually took their first lead of the game with 3:36 left when they went up one on a Jamezell Davis, Jr. three-point shot. A three by Jake Daniels and a jumper by Maurice Hunter eventually gave Trine control with 1:31 left as they closed out a 77-73 win.
"There is not one team in the country that has been through the amount of adversity that we have been through, and to be able to accomplish what we have accomplished was really really special. It is a credit to the guys. They really came together. I don't know of many teams that could have done that. Sometimes in life, you have to mature really quick, and they matured really quick and didn't let a big mountain in the road get in their way," added Coach May when reflecting on their season.
The Britons stand at 21-5 which as of now would be their best finish since the 2004-2005 season. They will wait in hopes of receiving an at-large bid for the NCAA tournament.
Briton Notes
Albion will host the MIAA Championship game at 7:30 PM between #4 Trine and #3 Adrian.
For the latest information on the team, follow @AlbionMBB on Twitter and albion.mbb on Instagram. General athletic news can also be found @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
