WOOSTER, Ohio – After a 12-day hiatus, the Albion College men's basketball team came up just short in their first game back from break. On the road, the Brits dropped a 77-71 decision to The College of Wooster on Thursday night.
Fred Garland continued his impressive junior season, scoring 20 points while dishing out five assists. With minutes limited due to foul trouble,
Ken Thomas still scored in double figures, recording 14 points in the loss. Junior
Zak Krueger was the only other Brit in double figures, ending with 10 points.
It was a tight back and forth first half, with no team gaining a lead by more than five points. In the period, there were 10 lead changes and three ties, as both teams had answers for baskets.
Late in the first half,
Jonathan Armstead-Wilkerson stepped up in a big way, scoring six straight to give Albion the lead. With 4:42 to play in the period and the shot clock winding down, the senior buried a three from way beyond the arc, vaulting the Brits ahead, 30-29.
A great offensive board from
Khy Winston followed by an even better pass to
AJ Barden led to a Briton bucket – their final of the half. Led by Krueger and Barden, Albion worked on defense to limit Wooster opportunities, giving them a 35-33 lead at the half.
Following a stop at the other end, the senior converted a big and-one, pushing the lead to four points with 4:03 remaining in the period.
Out of the half, a layup from Garland and free throws from
Ken Thomas helped Albion build their lead to six. Wooster kept responding, eventually taking a 46-44 lead with 15 minutes to play. The Fighting Scots capitalized on Albion turnovers to regain momentum and head into the first media timeout of the half with the lead.
Despite Albion cutting into the Wooster lead, the hosts were consistently able to respond with 3-pointers at the other end. With 6:40 to play, the Fighting Scots held a 60-56 advantage over the Britons.
The Brits then answered with a bucket by Barden. At the other end, the junior drew an offensive foul, giving the ball back to Albion with six minutes remaining. Winston and the Britons made use of the turnover, as the senior drained a pair of free throws to knot the game up at 60.
From there, Wooster used a 14-6 run over the next five minutes to pull ahead for good.
Albion committed 15 turnovers in the loss, leading to 17 points for the Fighting Scots.
Albion will play their second game in Ohio on Friday when they face off against Carnegie Mellon. Hosted by The College of Wooster, tipoff is set for 5 p.m. It will be the final non conference tuneup before league play commences on Wednesday.
