Box Score
READING, Pa. – Down by as much as 16 points in the first half, men's basketball (11-4/3-1 Commonwealth) put together a 15-0 run to start the second half, and used a solid team effort on both sides of the court to hand the Pride of Widener University (8-6/3-1 CC) their first conference loss of the season with a 82-74 decision Wednesday evening in the Bollman Center.
With 6'11”
Derek Hall leading the way, the Lions ended a three game home losing streak to the Pride, which started in 2008, when Widener defeated Albright in the Commonwealth Conference semi-finals. Hall's night consisted of a game-high 23 points and team-best eight rebounds. From the field Hall went 8-for-14 and at the line he was 7-for-8.
Wednesday's contest got off to a terrible start, as Widener jumped all over the red and white. By the 10 minute mark, Widener held a 20-5 lead over the host Lions, who at the time could not get a single thing going offensively.
However a
Cornell Mickens jumper and
Kyle Jordan dunk quickly changed the momentum of Wednesday's game. Widener still managed to hold a double-figure lead throughout the final 10 minutes, but Albright knew that the game was far from over. Right before the teams went to the locker room for halftime,
Jeff Sparrow put up a jumper to make it only a 10 point game (40-30).
That jumper would change the landscape of Wednesday's game. After the break, the Lions ripped right through the Pride's lead. Just 1:30 in, Albright cut the 10 point deficit to three on back-to-back free throws by
Shane Irwin, a jumper by Sparrow, and a deep three by Ashcroft.
Seconds later, senior
Zac Shaeffer tied the game 40-40 on a huge three, his first of four in the second half. A Hall lay-up and another Shaeffer three gave the Lions their first lead of the night with 16 minutes left in the game. Albright would never again trail the Pride throughout the second half, following the game-changing run.
The two teams would continue to battle back and forth, with Widener cutting Albright's lead to one on four separate occasions. However clutch shooting by Ashcroft, Jordan, and Irwin would keep the Lions ahead of their conference rivals.
By the five minute mark, the Lions held all the cards and with consistent shooting at the line, cruised to the huge conference victory. With the win, the Lions move into second place in the conference standings alongside Widener. Alvernia University remains the only undefeated team in the conference, with a 4-0 record.
On the night, Shaeffer finished second on the team with 18 points, followed by Ashcroft who had 15 points. Irwin also had a strong game totaling eight points and six rebounds.
For Widener, BJ Smith and Jack Brennan each scored a team-best 16 points, while Chris McDevitt scored 12. As a team the Lions shot 49% on the night, while Widener shot 50%. From behind the arc the two teams were dead even both shooting 35%. The true deciding factor in Wednesday's match-up came at the free throw line, as Albright shot over 90%, as compared to Widener's 55%.
Men's Basketball returns to action on Saturday when they travel to Elizabethtown College for a 4 p.m. Commonwealth Conference match-up.
