SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – The Spring Arbor University men's basketball team battled a physical Albion College squad but ultimately fell 61-57 on Tuesday night inside the SAU Fieldhouse.
The loss dropped the Cougars to 9-4 overall while the Britons boosted their record to 5-2 on the season.
Albion used a hot start to jump out to a 19-13 lead midway through the opening half before eventually increasing its advantage to 11, 29-18, at the 6:10 mark. The Cougars found their rhythm, though, and used a 13-3 run, highlighted by three three-pointers from senior Collin Hewitt, to get within one in the final minute of the period. However, an acrobatic shot Albion's De'Tavia Moore just before the buzzer gave the Britons a 34-31 halftime lead.
The visitors looked to be in position to pull ahead for good after hitting back-to-back triples to open the second stanza, but sophomore Caleb Hogans and Hewitt answered right back for SAU with a pair of three's to stay within one, 43-42.
After SAU fought back to tie the score 47-47 with 7:27 remaining in the contest, Albion used a quick 7-0 spurt to grab a lead that it would not relinquish. Junior Greg Hamilton made a driving lay-up with 33 seconds left on the clock to cut the deficit to three, 57-54, but the Britons would make enough free throws down the stretch to hold on for the victory.
Hewitt and Hogans recorded 14 points apiece to lead the Cougars. Hogans also grabbed a career-high seven rebounds to go along with three assists and a steal. Freshman Zach Medendorp and sophomore Thomas Starks finished just shy of a double-double. Medendorp tallied 12 points and nine rebounds while Starks posted nine points and a team-high 12 boards.
Spring Arbor will close its five-game homestand against the University of Windsor (12-2) on Monday, Dec. 22 at 1 p.m.
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