KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The Kalamazoo College men's basketball team dropped a back-and-forth battle against Albion College Saturday at Anderson Athletic Center, 81-71, in the Hornets' Compete for a Cause Game.

Things were tight early until the Hornets used an 11-4 run to grab a 21-17 lead. Albion hit back-to-back three-point shots to answer, ultimately taking a 31-28 lead at halftime. The Britons shot 39.4% from the field in the first half to 25.7% for Kalamazoo, but the Hornets had a 28-19 advantage in rebounds including a 14-7 gap in offensive boards.

After Albion built an eight-point lead early in the second half, Kalamazoo surged ahead with a 17-4 run featuring four steals to take a 58-53 lead. However, the Britons responded by scoring the next nine points and never relinquished the lead.

Albion finished the game shooting 44.4% from the field to 30.0% by the Hornets, and with a 36.4% to 23.3% advantage in three-point percentage.

Lucas Hanifan led the charge for Kalamazoo with a career-high 21 points along with five rebounds and two steals. Patrick Perez chipped in 17 points with a team-high eight rebounds and two blocks.

Connor Kouki added nine points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals. Nelson Sompa finished with five points, four assists, four rebounds and two steals.

Kalamazoo men's basketball (3-10, 0-2 MIAA) continues the homestand on Wednesday against Calvin University (10-3, 2-0) at 7:00 p.m. at Anderson Athletic Center.