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The Albright College men's basketball team currently ranks in the top-half of the Commonwealth Conference in scoring (ppg), opponent scoring (ppg), scoring margin, turnover margin and assist-to-turnover ratio. The Lions lead the league in rebounding (40.2 rpg, +4.1 differential). But despite playing good team basketball for long stretches, Albright finds itself at 1-5 in league play and desperately needing a victory on the road tonight at Arcadia.

The Red and White fell 80-75 to Lebanon Valley on Saturday, with all five Commonwealth losses now coming by single digits (by an average of 4.8 points).

Commonwealth Conference Picture

Despite their slow start, the Lions lost a golden opportunity to pull into a tie for the fourth and final playoff spot, which they would have done with a win over Lebanon Valley. Instead, Albright (1-5), sits two games behind LVC (3-3) in the playoff race.

Lycoming and Messiah top the league at 5-1, while Alvernia (4-2) and Leb Val complete the top half of the standings. Albright plays four of its final seven games at home, so a win tonight would keep them in the mix, needing only one more road win and a perfect record at home to reach 7-7.

Albright College (10-7 Overall, 1-5 Commonwealth Conference)

Looking for a spark, the Lions mixed things up in the second half against LVC, eventually scoring 48 points and out-pacing their opponents by nine over that 20-minute span.

Redshirt sophomore Pedro Perez (who is averaging 14.2 mpg) played 16 minutes in the second period alone, and was a team-best +14 for the contest. Freshman Jevin Zimmerman had only played 30 minutes all season but was on the court for eight minutes in the second half, totaling three points and a plus-minus of +11 over that time.

Both made their cases for more playing time, and along with the introduction of transfer Dave Singleton (11.0 ppg) to the starting line-up for the first time, showed that Albright has the necessary depth to fight its way back into the Commonwealth playoff race.

Senior center Derek Hall leads the team in scoring (14.4 ppg), rebounding (9.8 rpg) and blocked shots (26). Point guard Sam Marrella has team-bests in assists (53) and steals (32).

Arcadia University (9-8 Overall, 2-4 Commonwealth Conference)

The Knights were 8-4 overall (and a surprising 2-0 in Commonwealth play) heading into January's slate of conference games,  but have since lost four of five.

Freshman Joe Brown hit a pair of late threes to lead Arcadia to a thrilling 69-67 upset of Lebanon Valley, and is currently second on the squad in scoring (9.6 ppg) while shooting 45.3% from the field. He also leads the squad in rebounding; junior Khalief Trawick leads in scoring with 10.9 ppg.

Arcadia has used the same starting line-up in every game so far. Joining Brown and Trawick are seniors Colin McCarthy (8.5 ppg, 81.3 free throw %) and Jason Thompson (6.6 ppg), along with freshman Travis Saltus (9.3 ppg, 2.8 apg). Guard Rashon Brock has shot an outstanding 74.5% from the field coming off the bench.

Coaches vs. Cancer on Saturday

Albright's next home game, Saturday vs. Messiah, will be the annual Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.

Coaches from both squads will wear suits and sneakers as part of a national campaign to raise both awareness and money for the American Cancer Society.