ALBION -- Unable to pull off an upset bid, the Albion College men's basketball team came up just short in their home opener, 86-74, over No. 21 Mount Union. The Purple Raiders boosted their lead to as many as 17 points in the second half, as momentum from late Albion runs was stifled. 

Senior guard MJ Barnes led the Brits with 18 points. The senior played all but three minutes in the opening contest. 

Playing nearly 31 minutes off the bench, Jonathan Armstead-Wilkerson scored 17 points -- a perfect six of six from the floor. The junior tallied a game-high four steals as well.
In his first collegiate start, Frederick Garland dropped 16 points and dished out a team-high five assists for the Britons. 

Out of the gates, Mount Union broke to a 17-9 lead less than eight minutes in. Albion eventually settled, using a 9-0 run to take a lead. Anchored by two buckets from Garland, the hosts briefly led, 18-17, midway through the first half. 

At the other end, an offensive board turned into three points for the Purple Raiders, putting Mount Union back on top. 

Shining in his first true varsity appearance, Armstead-Wilkerson answered with a triple at the other end off a feed from Barnes, giving the Britons a one point advantage. 

Knotted at 23, MTU went on a 12-0 run that spanned three minutes to distance themselves from the Brits. Albion worked to cut the MTU lead back to single digits, as the Britons trailed 42-37 at the half. 

With 18:21 to play and Mount Union clinging to a three-point lead, the Purple Raiders exploded on an 11-6 run to push their lead back to double-digits. The lead would eventually become as large as 17 points, as Albion could not trim the deficit to anything smaller than 10.

Led by Armstead-Wilkerson, Albion got 28 points from its bench. The Britons also capitalized on MTU mistakes, scoring 26 points off 13 Purple Raider turnovers. 

Dominant on the glass, the Purple Raiders scored 20 second chance points in the contest. At the other end, the Brits mustered just four offensive boards. 

At the line, the Britons cashed in a 16-22 mark, while MTU struggled (13-27). 

Mount Union shot nearly 57 percent from the floor. The efficiency of Armstead-Wilkerson and Devin Holmes helped Albion's field goal percentage, seeing the Brits connect on almost 51 percent of its attempts. 

The Britons will be on the road on Wednesday when they travel to Rose-Hulman for a 7 p.m. tip off.