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The Albright College women's basketball team opens its 2012-13 home conference schedule against its biggest rival, welcoming cross-town opponent Alvernia University to the Bollman Center.
Lions Open With Win
Albright went on a 25-8 second half run to break open a close game, beating host Arcadia 77-64 in the Lions' 2012-13 Commonwealth Conference opener on Wednesday.
Sophomore
Jessica Venturelli had 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting, and junior
Meghan Boyle totaled 15 points and six rebounds in the second half alone. Junior
Shawn Barczynski totaled a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, and freshman center
Emily O'Donnell had 10 points and five boards in just 12 minutes of action.
Boyle scored five straight points, including an and-one, to erase a 44-40 deficit and put the Lions ahead. Albright's run stretched to 7-0 on a Barczynski fadeaway, and 12-2 after
Kari Ludy's three-point play on the break.
Previous Meeting
Alvernia senior forward
Angela Altemose scored 20 points, crossing the 1,000 mark for her career as Alvernia defeated Albright 83-47 in February, 2012. Altemose drained her 1,000th point on a free throw with 13:35 left in the game, which was already in hand with the visiting Crusaders ahead 51-28. Senior guard
Jenny Knoebel led Albright with a team-high 12 points in 27 minutes of action. Both Knoebel and Altemose have graduated.
Albright College Lions (3-2, 1-0)
The Lions feature five freshmen and sophomores, and just one senior, among their nine players seeing double-digit minutes per game. Leading the way statistically is Boyle, with 11.8 points and 7.5 rebounds per contest.
Boyle was Albright's only healthy post player in 2011-12, leading to Albright's struggles against the better forward/centers in the league, such as Altemose. The Red and White front line is now bolstered however by the return of Barczynski, and three freshmen. Rookie
Kelecia Harris leads the squad in rebounding (9.3 rpg) and blocked shots (six); classmate
Kadijah Bishop (5.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 56.3 FG%) has been solid, and O'Donnell filled in admirably with Bishop missing the Arcadia game.
Alvernia University Crusaders (3-1, 1-0)
The Crusaders are 3-1 and also opened Commonwealth play with a victory, beating Lycoming 60-50 on the road thanks to 21 points from freshman sharpshooter
Stevie Fortna.
Fortna leads the squad in scoring (16.3 ppg) while shooting 45.5% from the field and 34.4% from behind the arc. Another freshman, guard
Chelsea Ebersole, has also jumped right into the starting lineup and is second on the team with 12.0 ppg. 6-foot-1 center
Kayla Long is a senior and tops the Crusaders in rebounding (8.0) and blocked shots (seven).
75th Anniversary
2012 marks the 75th anniversary of women's basketball at Albright College. Albright Hall of Famer
Eva Mosser was named the first head coach when the program was officially approved in February, 1937. 24 female students attended tryouts the previous November, with 12 selected for the varsity squad. The Lady Lions played their first game on February 19, 1937, at Lebanon Valley College, and later welcomed LVC in March for their first official home contest.
Head Coaches
Janice Luck is in her 11th season as head coach of the Lady Lions, and also serves as the co-director of athletics at Albright College. Luck's 100th career victory came against Alvernia, as the Lions won by 20 points over the Crusaders late in the 2010-11 season.
Kevin Calabria is now in his 24th season as head coach of the Crusaders. During that time he has recruited and coached four All-Americans, won over 400 games and four Coach of the Year awards, and helped Alvernia to six conference titles and one ECAC championship.
Video/Audio Streaming
A reminder that Albright basketball is now providing live video streaming of a majority of home games; contests are available for $5.95 for a single game or $19.95 for a three-month pass.
Bob McCool and
Steve Degler are still featured on play-by-play, with the pair providing free online radio coverage of most Albright away contests.
