ALBION, Mich. - In a battle for third place in the MIAA standings, Albion edged the Calvin Knights 74-71 Saturday afternoon inside Kresge Gymnasium.

With the win, Albion secures third place in the MIAA standings and the third seed for the upcoming MIAA Tournament while Calvin will finish in fourth place and be the fourth seed for the league tournament. Both teams will have first round MIAA Tournament games at home on February 26.

Albion (19-5 overall, 11-4 MIAA) built a 14-6 lead early in the first quarter but the Knights (15-9 overall, 9-6 MIAA) closed strong, trailing just 21-17 after one quarter of play. Calvin outscored Albion 24-21 in the second quarter to trail just 42-41 at halftime.

The lead then changed hands four times in the third quarter with Calvin later forging a tie at 54 before the Britons were able to use a free throw and a field goal to take a 57-54 lead heading into the final quarter of play.

Albion bumped its lead up to 10 at 66-56 in the fourth but three-balls by sophomore Baylee GalanBrowne (Evergreen, Co./Evergreen HS) and senior Kara Minderhoud (Grand Rapids, Mich./Covenant Christian HS) along with a two-point goal by freshman Leah Harris (Frisco, Tx./Lone Star HS) brought the Knights to within 68-64 with 3:28 left on the clock.

Harris connected on another two-point try moments later to bring the Knights within two. Sophomore Gabby Timmer (Caledonia, Mich./South Christian HS) swished a pair of free throws with 1:34 remaining to bring the Knights back within two again at 70-68. On the ensuing possession, Albion misfired on a shot attempt but was able to corral the offensive board while drawing a Calvin foul. Albion's Rain Hinton made both free throws to put the Brits up 72-68.

After both teams missed shot attempts, Calvin was able to sneak within a point at 72-71 on a three-point shot by Timmer with seven seconds remaining. Calvin was forced to foul and Albion's Elena Welker connected on two free throws. A shot by Calvin at the buzzer was off the mark as the Britons held on for the home win.

Timmer led Calvin with 26 points and six rebounds which included a 10-for-10 showing at the free throw line. Minderhoud scored 12 while GalanBrown had 11 including three triples. Rain Hinton led Albion with 19 points.

Albion held a 39-34 rebounding advantage. Albion shot 46.7 percent from the field including 78.9 percent (15 of 19) at the free throw line. Calvin shot 39.1 percent from the field including a perfect 12 for 12 at the charity stripe.

COACHES COMMENT: "This was a conference tournament type of game today," said Calvin head women's basketball coach Mark Christner. "Both teams really played hard and left it all out on the floor. In a game like this, it's one shot or one rebound that can make the difference. As difficult as it is to lose, our group has made significant progress and I believe were peaking at the right time. We'll get some rest and be ready to finish the regular season at Adrian."

NEXT UP: Calvin will travel to Adrian next Saturday for its regular season finale with game time set for 3 p.m.