Barden, Flaniken open season with double-doubles

Box Score CHICAGO, Ill. – In their 2023 debut, the Albion College men's basketball team came up short against Illinois Tech, falling 75-69. Senior post AJ Barden paced the Brits with a career-best 21 points, connecting on 10 of his 15 attempts from the floor while adding nine rebounds.

Marco Lucchesi scored a career-high 14 points for the Brits, as Jaylen Flaniken was solid in his Albion debut, finishing with a double-double. The junior transfer scored 11 points and brought down 11 boards.

Sophomore Kam Mayes scored nine points off the bench, as Nathan Steinman dished out a team-high four assists.

The Britons put together a valiant effort down the stretch, cutting the deficit to single digits. Albion fought hard through the final few minutes, forcing IIT turnovers and driving hard to the bucket.

Both teams shot nearly identical marks from the field, but IIT connected on 43 percent of their threes, as the Brits struggled beyond the arc, shooting 28 percent. Albion was also a mere 12-25 from the free throw line.

The Scarlet Hawks held a strong 46-29 lead at the half and never looked back. Despite Albion slowly chipping away in the second half, IIT's lead in the first half was too much to overcome.

Tomorrow, Albion plays Caltech in the weekend finale.

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Players Mentioned

#40 AJ Barden: F; 6' 5"; Junior

#14 Marco Lucchesi: F; 6' 5"; Junior

#24 Nathan Steinman: G; 6' 2"; Freshman

#32 Kam Mayes: G; 6' 5"; Freshman

#4 Jaylen Flaniken: 6' 2"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#40 AJ Barden
: 6' 5"; Junior
: F

#14 Marco Lucchesi
: 6' 5"; Junior
: F

#24 Nathan Steinman
: 6' 2"; Freshman
: G

#32 Kam Mayes
: 6' 5"; Freshman
: G

#4 Jaylen Flaniken
: 6' 2"; Junior