Box Score
READING, Pa. – In a matchup against cross-town opponent Penn-State Berks, men's basketball (5-2) got breakout performances from
Kyle Jordan and
Cornell Mickens on their way to downing the Nittany Lions (3-5) by a score of 86-70 in a non-conference contest on Saturday afternoon at the Bollman Center.
Coming off of the bench, Jordan and Mickens electrified the red and white in the latter stages of the second half to help the home side pull away from a persistent Berks' squad. Jordan finished the contest with a career-best 17 points, four rebounds and two steals in just 15 minutes of action. With just over six minutes to play in the opening half, Mickens brought the crowd to its feet on a beautifully-executed alley-oop slam on a pass from
Zac Shaeffer on the fastbreak. Mickens also finished thewith a new career-high of 17 points on the day.
The first half was a back-and-forth battle that saw the visitors frustrate the home team. The Nittany Lions speed and quickness allowed them to match Albright's size advantage. Albright was led by
Derek Hall. The junior center dominated the paint and finished the half with 12 points and seven rebounds in the first twenty minutes of play. Mickens gave Albright a needed lift off the bench and came in to deposit eight points for the red and white in the opening half.
Penn-State Berks was led by sophomore guard Tore Turner, who used some fearless drives to the basket to finish the half with 12 points. Also leading Berks were freshmen Devin Moore and Wanyae Hartsfield, who combined for fifteen points before the intermission. The trio allowed Berks to stay toe-to-toe with Albright and the two teams took a 39-39 tie into the break.
The see-saw affair would continue into the second half until Jordan and Mickens took over the game with just over eight minutes to play. With little answer from Berks, the duo combined for thirteen points in the next three minutes of play and enabled the red and white to sneak away with a victory.
Albright was also led by Shaeffer and senior
Matt Ashcroft. Schaeffer deposited 14 points on the strength of a 6 for 6 showing at the free-throw line and also handed out seven assists. Ashcroft totaled 13 points that included three shots from behind the arc. Hall finished the contest with a double-double that included 16 points and 12 rebounds.
The visitors were led by Moore, who ended the game with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Turner went on to finish the game with 19 points and six assists, while freshman center Thomas Smith used a strong second-half to finish with 12 points and ten rebounds.
The red and white will look to extend their three-game winning streak next Saturday when they travel to Kean University (NJ) for a 3 p.m. tipoff.
