diff --git a/owners_client.py b/owners_client.py
index 7bd6ec88d..01b3f181c 100644
--- a/owners_client.py
+++ b/owners_client.py
@@ -38,7 +38,6 @@ def _owner_combinations(owners, num_owners):
   return reversed(list(itertools.combinations(reversed(owners), num_owners)))
 
 
-
 class InvalidOwnersConfig(Exception):
   pass
 
@@ -124,15 +123,16 @@ class OwnersClient(object):
     # Select the minimum number of owners that can approve all paths.
     # We start at 2 to avoid sending all changes that require multiple reviewers
     # to top-level owners.
-    num_owners = 2
-    while True:
+    if len(owners) < 2:
+      return owners
+
+    for num_owners in range(2, len(owners)):
       # Iterate all combinations of `num_owners` by decreasing score, and select
       # the first one that covers all paths.
       for selected in _owner_combinations(owners, num_owners):
         covered = set.union(*(paths_by_owner[o] for o in selected))
         if len(covered) == len(paths):
           return selected
-      num_owners += 1
 
 
 class DepotToolsClient(OwnersClient):
diff --git a/tests/owners_client_test.py b/tests/owners_client_test.py
index fc58c90c5..489bb718d 100644
--- a/tests/owners_client_test.py
+++ b/tests/owners_client_test.py
@@ -166,6 +166,11 @@ class OwnersClientTest(unittest.TestCase):
          (emily, dave)])
 
   def testSuggestOwners(self):
+    self.client.owners_by_path = {'a': [alice]}
+    self.assertEqual(
+        self.client.SuggestOwners('project', 'branch', ['a']),
+        [alice])
+
     self.client.owners_by_path = {'abcd': [alice, bob, chris, dave]}
     self.assertEqual(
         self.client.SuggestOwners('project', 'branch', ['abcd']),