Jan. 27, 2010

Final Stats

ADRIAN, Mich. - The Adrian College basketball team battled the Britons for all 40 minutes of Wednesday night's contest at the Merillat Center. The Bulldogs improved to 9-9 overall with the win, and they now also have a winning record (4-3) in the MIAA.

Even though the first half of play was low scoring it was still intense. J.C. Cruse made a statement early in the game for Albion. Cruse scored eight of the team's first 10 points. He was 5-of-6 from the free throw line and had nine first half points.

Cody Barnes matched Cruse with a big first half of his own. Barnes hit a three from the corner to tie the game at 14-14. Dave Stasiak answered by hitting a three pointer on Albion's next trip down the floor, but Barnes remained hot. The freshman from Romulus, Michigan hit his second three pointer of the half for Adrian to tie the game, and eventually gave AC a 20-17 lead after hitting his third shot from behind the arc in the opening half.

Adrian held a 22-21 lead at halftime, and Barnes stretched that lead by hitting his fourth three pointer of the game to open the second half. The Britons fought back, and Cruse tied the game at 25-25 by making a pair of free throws. Chris Hutton broke the tie and gave Albion the lead with a three ball. The Brits held a 35-30 lead midway through the half, but it would not last as AC went on a 5-0 run capped off by a layup by Chris Primley.

The score remained close for the rest of the game. There were six lead changes, and the game was tied eight times. The Bulldogs were able to go on a 4-0 run around the five minute mark with back-to-back layups by Matt Wayne and Joseph Kopicki. The Britons cut the lead to 41-40 after a three pointer by Andre Bridges with 4:19 remaining.

Wayne showed senior leadership for Adrian down the stretch. Wayne finished a layup to push the lead to 43-40. The senior also knocked down two big free throws, and hustled on the other end of the floor as he came up with a blocked shot on Cruse.

A layup by Blair Ramsey gave AC a 47-42 lead and the game turned into a free throw contest for the Bulldogs. The only problem was the game turned into a three point contest for Albion, and Alex Harville was in the zone.

Harville hit a three with 15 seconds to play making the game 47-45. Staley was fouled quickly, and he was able to knock down two free throws for Adrian with 10 seconds to go. The Bulldogs fouled Cruse as he attacked the bucket, and Cruse made his free throws to cut the Adrian lead to 49-47. The Britons were once again forced to foul. This time Wes Reed found himself at the charity stripe for Adrian. Reed hit both free throws, and Adrian held a four point lead with four seconds remaining.

Harville hit another three point basket with .8 seconds left cutting the lead to 51-50. Adrian had trouble getting the ball in bounds and Delano Collins was forced to throw the ball to the opposite end of the floor. The only problem was nobody touched the ball and the Britons gained possession with .8 on the game clock. With no timeouts remaining the Britons were forced to call a play on the go. The play worked as Cruse ended up with a tip-in opportunity, but he was unable to hit the shot and Adrian won the game 51-50.