READING, Pa. – The Albright women's basketball team will return to postseason play for the first time in six years when it hosts Messiah in the semifinals of the Commonwealth Conference Tournament on Wednesday (Feb. 25) at 7 p.m. in the Bollman Center.

Albright, which finished the regular season with a 19-6 overall record and a 13-3 Commonwealth Conference record, enters the tournament as the No. 2 seed. The Lions will be making their first appearance in the tournament since the 2008-09 season.

Albright defeated Messiah twice during the regular season. The Lions defeated Messiah 65-57 in the Bollman Center on Jan. 10 and then completed the season sweep with a 74-62 win at Messiah on Feb. 11.

"Our two wins against Messiah during the regular season helped to get us a home game in the tournament, and nothing more," said Albright head coach Janice Luck. "We are fully aware that we are going to have to play our best game of the season on Wednesday. Messiah is a great program and we will have to play our best to beat them."

In the first meeting between the two teams at Albright, the Lions used a hot-shooting night to record the victory.

Albright shot 53.3 percent from the floor, while limiting Messiah to just 36.2 percent shooting. The Lions were led by junior Kelecia Harris who scored 18 points, while freshman Jane Joyce had 14 points and nine rebounds and senior Jessica Venturelli added 11 points.

Albright repeated its hot shooting in the victory at Messiah by shooting 50.0 percent from the floor in the win. Harris led four players in double figures in scoring with 20 points, while Joyce had 16 points and Venturelli and sophomore Shannon Thomas each had 10 points.

Harris leads Albright averaging 16.0 points and 11.1 rebounds per game and is shooting a conference-leading 62.4 percent from the floor. Thomas, the top three-point field goal percentage shooter in conference play, is second on the team averaging 11.0 points per game.

Venturelli is averaging 9.8 points per game, while Joyce is scoring 9.5 points per contest. Junior Kadijah Bishop is averaging 6.0 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.

Harris closed the regular season with a flourish as she is averaging 18.8 points and 12.8 rebounds per game in Albright's last six contests, while shooting 65.3 percent from the floor.

Albright brings a five-game winning streak into the contest and has won 11 of its last 13 games overall.

Messiah finished the regular season with a 13-12 overall record and a 9-6 mark in conference play.

Tickets for the Commonwealth Conference Tournament semifinals are $6 for adults, $4 for senior citizens and $2 for children, while children under 6-years old are admitted free. Courtesy of Albright Student Affairs, Albright students will be admitted free of charge with proper identification.