Box Score
READING, Pa – Led by a game-high 27 points from
Zac Shaeffer and some huge contributions from its bench, men's basketball (13-6, 5-3 Commonwealth) was able to sneak by visiting Lycoming College (12-7, 2-6) by the score of 88-86 in double overtime on Saturday afternoon at the Bollman Center.
Lycoming would be the side to strike first in the opening moments. The visitors jumped out to a 13-4 lead just a little over five minutes into the contest. Sparked by the bench play of
Cornell Mickens and
Zach Benjamin, Albright would mount a comeback in the later stages of the first half. Schaffer hit a three-pointer to even things up at 25-25 with just over five minutes to play in the half, but Will Kelly hit a three of his own with thirty seconds left in the period to give Lycoming a 33-32 edge heading into the intermission.
The visiting Warriors would once again make a strong run as the second half began. Two fouls shots by Kevin Anthony gave Lycoming a 56-47 lead with 11:24 to play. The Red & White gradually chipped away and took a 59-58 lead on a rare three-point shot by Benjamin with 6:38 left on the clock. The two sides went back and forth over the final minutes. Shaeffer would hit a three and two free throws on back-to-back possessions to provide a 72-69 advantage with 26 seconds on the clock. However, Lycoming's Ishaan Davis hit a gigantic three with eight seconds left to send the game into overtime.
Neither team held much of an advantage in the first overtime period. Lycoming held a three-point lead with 52 seconds left when
Matt Ashcroft nailed a three-pointer to tie things up at 72-72. Lycoming had trouble getting things going on their final play and a potential game-winning three from Kelly fell short, sending the teams into a second overtime.
The second overtime was much like the first. With 1:21 left to play, Ashcroft hit two free throws to give the Red & White an 87-84 advantage. They would hold that lead due to tough defense until Sebastian Sabella hit a layup with seven seconds left to push Lycoming within one. However, Shaeffer hit one of two free throws and Kelly missed a halfcourt heave at the buzzer to give the Red & White got another big win in conference play.
Shaffer was sensational all night long for the home team. He finished 7 for 15 from the field and 11 for 13 from the free-throw line and also had four assists in 47 minutes of play. Mickens and Benjamin provided a huge lift off the bench. Mickens finished with 18 points and four rebounds while Benjamin ended with 7 points and 10 rebounds and helped steady Albright on the defensive end. Ashcroft also finished in doubles figures with 12 points on the day.
Lycoming was led throughout the game by Will Kelly and Mike Bradley. Kelly, who recorded both 1,000th point and 500th rebound of his career early in the game, paced the visitors with a double-double of 23 points and 12 rebounds. Bradley deposited 21 points and snatched four rebounds. Also finishing in double figures for Lycoming were Jerald Williams and Davis. Williams also dished a game-high seven assists.
The major advantage for Albright came in bench production, as the home side outscored the visitors 33-11. Both teams shooting numbers were nearly identical. Albright did hold a sizable advantage at the free throw line, where they outscored Lycoming 29 to 18.
Men's basketball will return to action on Wednesday evening when they travel to conference foe Widener University for an 8 p.m. tipoff.
