Men’s basketball team opens MIAA play with 71-64 loss at Albion

ALBION, Mich. – The Olivet College men's basketball team opened Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) play with a tough 71-64 loss against Albion College this evening at Kresge Gymnasium in Albion.

The Comets led by five points twice in the first half, with the last time being 26-21, with 4:11 left before the break. Albion answered with nine straight points to take a 29-26 lead. Olivet tied the game on a 3-pointer by freshman Marquis Childers (Muskegon Heights). After the Britons took the lead, the Comets got a basket from junior Matt El (Allegan) to tie the game, 31-31, at halftime.

Olivet opened the second half with a 7-0 run to take its largest lead of the game. The Comets held the lead until Albion made the score 50-50 with 7:50 remaining in the game. The teams split the next 20 points to make the 60-60 at the 4:08 mark.

After the Britons went ahead by one, 62-61, El put Olivet back up by two points, 64-62, when he drained a free throw to complete a 3-point play with 2:28 left. Those points would be the Comets' final points of the game, as Albion ended the game on a 9-0 run with a pair of 3-pointers and three free throws.

Senior Jaren Edsall (Whitehall) scored 20 points to lead Olivet. El joined him in double figures with a career-high 15 points. Junior Alvino Ashley (Detroit/MLK) recorded a team-high five assists and scored nine points. Junior Dakotah Ellis (Birch Run) grabbed a team-leading eight rebounds.

For the Britons, Kolin Kazen led all scorers with 22 points, while Mike Smith led all players with 11 points. Alex Harville came off the bench to score 11 points.

The Comets (2-10, 0-1 MIAA) return to action Saturday when they host Kalamazoo College. Tip-off from The Cutler Event Center is 3 p.m.