ADRIAN, Mich. -- Despite a 330 day gap between games, the Albion College men's basketball team didn't miss a beat in its season opener, downing Adrian College, 95-60, in dominant fashion.

46 seconds into the contest, senior Caden Ebeling sank a free throw to reach the 1,000 point threshold. He finished with 16 points and five rebounds.

Junior MJ Barnes paced the Briton offense with 21 points -- including an efficient 5 of 7 from beyond the arc. It was the third time the guard reached 20-plus points in his career.

Cortez Garland (11 points), Ken Thomas (11 points) and Jaylen Ross (10 points) all scored in double figures for Albion.

HOW IT HAPPENED

After winning the tip, Garland buried a three to give the Britons the lead and never look back. With 13:44 before the half, Mark Tocco's transition layup off a steal pushed the visitors ahead by 10 points -- where they would hold a double-digit lead for the remainder of the game. The sophomore finished with seven points and five rebounds off the bench.

Adrian finished out the first half on a small run, but the visitors had built a commanding 45-27 lead heading into the break.

Albion shot a blistering 70 percent from three in the first half, led by three triples apiece by Barnes and Garland.

The Britons carried all of the momentum into the second half, building a lead to as large as 42 points.

Albion's defense came up big, forcing the Bulldogs to commit 26 turnovers. The visitors were able to cash in on the other end, scoring 35 points off turnovers. The Britons committed just 12 turnovers, two of which came in the second half.

Led by Ebeling and Thomas, Albion outscored Adrian in the paint, 40-22.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

Albion wins its season opener for the first time since the 2015-16 season. The Bulldogs, who have been playing in the fall semester, drop to 0-8.

Ebeling is the 22nd Briton to reach the 1,000 point mark -- the first since Corey Wheeler in 2018.

With the shortened schedule, this matchup does not count towards the MIAA standings. Albion will have four more contests before results are applied to the conference standings.

QUOTES FROM THE COACH

"We were just ecstatic to be out on the court playing a game," said head coach, Jody May. "Our guys have sacrificed a lot and to just be out there was a great feeling."

"For only practicing a few times, we played fairly well … We still have a lot to improve on but it's a good start."

"Thanks to everyone at Albion for working so hard to give us this opportunity and congratulations to Caden on scoring his 1000th point!"

UP NEXT

The Britons will have a week off before hosting Olivet College in the second half of a men's and women's double header. Game time on Jan. 30 is scheduled for 7 p.m. The schedule is subject to change, and as always, we will keep you updated on gobrits.com.