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The Albright College men's basketball team travels to Grantham, Pa. to take on Commonwealth Conference leader Messiah College.

Commonwealth Conference Standings

The Lions are 6-4 in Commonwealth play and hold a two-game lead over Lycoming, Elizabethtown and Lebanon Valley for the fifth and final playoff spot. At 9-2 Messiah leads the MAC by a game over Stevenson, Alvernia, and Hood.

Previous Meeting

The 2011-12 Commonwealth Conference champion Falcons came into the Bollman Center at 4-0 to start the season after winning their own Homewood Suites Tip-Off Tournament and adding victories over Penn State-Harrisburg and York. Albright kept it close early, before a 21-7 run by the Falcons that resulted in a game-high 18-point lead with just less than four minutes to play before half time. After shooting only 5-for-23 as a team in the first half and committing 16 turnovers the Lion offense came to life in the second half. However, despite four players scoring double-digit points the Lions couldn't overcome their first half mistakes, falling to the Falcons 81-75 at home.

Albright College Lions (10-8, 6-5)

Arcadia University went on a 35-13 run over the middle part of the contest, defeating Albright 74-66 on Wednesday in Glenside, Pa.

Kyle Jordan had 26 points on 11-of-16 shooting, and added nine rebounds. Pedro Perez (15 points) and Sameen Swint (12 points) were also in double-figures for the Lions.

The Lions remain two games ahead of Lycoming and Elizabethtown for fifth place in the Commonwealth, after both those teams lost on Wednesday as well. LVC is also tied with Lyco and Etown at 4-7.

#22 Messiah College Falcons (15-2, 9-2)

The nationally-ranked Falcons of Messiah won the Commonwealth Conference in 2011-12 behind first team All-Conference sophomore David Fernandez (16.1 ppg, 56.1 FG%), beating Albright in overtime in the semifinals. Fernandez went down with an injury at the beginning of last season however, and the Falcons went 13-11, 9-9 and missed the playoffs with a season-ending loss to Alvernia.

Fernandez is back this year and averaging 16.2 ppg (56.6%) and 5.1 rpg as Messiah finds themselves in sole possession of first place in the Commonwealth Conference. Senior guard Brad Bolen leads the team in points with 20.5 ppg and assists (55).

Fernandez scored a game-high 22 points to lead five double-figure scorers for the Falcons in a come from behind 80-65 victory over Elizabethtown on Wednesday.