Men's Basketball completes winning week

Men's Basketball completes winning week

ADRIAN, Mich. – Albion College held Adrian College scoreless over the final 2:52 of regulation as it pulled out a 76-66 victory in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association men's basketball action.

With the victory, Albion is off to a 2-0 start against MIAA rivals for the first time since 2012. First place in the MIAA standings will be on the line Wednesday when the Britons (9-4 overall) travel to mid-Michigan to meet Alma College. The Scots scored victories over Kalamazoo College and Calvin College in the opening week of league play.

The game was a white-knuckle affair throughout, as neither team led by more than eight until Albion went 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the final minute.

Perhaps most important was how Albion came through down the stretch for the second time this week.

Adrian led 63-59 when Jeremy Kalonji completed an old-fashioned three-point play with 5:21 left in regulation. The only score Adrian would get from that point was a 3-point basket by Sam Colbert with 2:52 left as Adrian was clinging to a 66-64 lead.

ArShawn Parker, a senior who prepped at Mumford High School, led Albion's late rally, scoring eight of his game-high 24 points.  He scored a layup and sank a pair of free throws to pull Albion even at 63.

Jaylin Fordham's 3-point basket gave Albion the lead for good, 67-66, with less than two minutes to play.

Parker extended the margin to 70-66 with an old-fashioned three-point play on Albion's next possession.

Albion hit all six of its free throws in the final minute. Fordham was 4-for-4 and Devin Holmes tacked on a pair.

Of Note

  • Parker, who scored 154 points in his first three seasons at the collegiate level, has scored in double figures five times this season
  • Logging 29 minutes off the bench, Parker was 7-of-15 from the field and 9-of-11 from the free throw line
  • Jamezell Davis, Jr. led the starting unit with 19 points. He was 6-of-12 from the field, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range. He stuffed the box score with seven rebounds and two steals
  • Fordham added 13 points, five rebounds and a block
  • The backcourt had to provide the scoring while Adrian focused its defense on forward Caden Ebeling. Ebeling took just three shots – scoring four points. He pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds and dished out an assist.
  • Logging 13 minutes off the bench, first-year guard Zachary Winston matched his season-high with three assists

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