READING, Pa. – The look in their eyes told the story. There was no fear, no hesitation and no doubt.

Albright's leading scorer and rebounder, Kelecia Harris, had just left the game with an apparent injury and the Lions clinging to a 39-37 lead over Messiah midway through the second half of the Commonwealth Conference Tournament semifinals.

Jessica Venturelli, Jane Joyce, Shannon Thomas, Kadijah Bishop and Emily O'Donnell huddled together at halfcourt brimming with confidence.

Joyce hit a jumper, Venturelli made two free throws and Thomas converted a layup on a backdoor cut, which sparked a back-breaking 18-0 run that propelled Albright to a 59-42 victory.

It's a theme that has resonated throughout the season for Albright. When one player stumbles another player steps in to do the job. It just as easily could have been Devan Horka or Allison Hardwick or Morgan Harris that stepped in to fill the void.

These Lions know how to win.

Albright will need to find a way to win one more time on Saturday (Feb. 28) when it visits Stevenson to play for the Commonwealth Conference Tournament championship and an automatic berth into the field of 64 for the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament.

The Lions will face a difficult challenge on Saturday as the Mustangs defeated Albright twice during the regular season. Stevenson edged Albright 57-55 on a last-second layup in the Bollman Center on Jan. 3 and then posted a 68-50 win over the Lions on Feb. 4 in the Owings Mills Gymnasium.

Since the second meeting with Stevenson, Albright has ripped off six consecutive wins and has won its last three games by an average of 17.7 points.

Although this marks the Lions first foray into a Commonwealth Conference Tournament championship game, Albright has plenty of reasons to be optimistic.

The Lions are led by Harris who was named the Commonwealth Conference Player of the Year on Thursday. She is averaging 15.9 points and 11.3 rebounds per game and leads the conference shooting 62.5 percent from the floor. She was named the conference player of the week six times this year and has recorded 18 double-doubles on the season.

Thomas, who was named second team all-conference, ranks as one of the top sharp shooters in the league and led the conference in three-point field goal percentage and three-point field goals made per game during conference play. She is second on the team averaging 10.9 points per game and leads Albright averaging 3.5 assists per contest.

Venturelli has been the steadying influence for the Lions all season long. She ranks third on the team in scoring averaging 9.6 points per game and leads the team in three-point field goal percentage and free-throw percentage.

Bishop had her best game of the season in the semifinal victory over Messiah when she had 11 points, 14 rebounds, a blocked shot and a steal. She ranks second on the team averaging 6.8 rebounds per game.

Joyce, just a freshman, has taken over the reigns as the point guard and has turned in an outstanding season. She is averaging 9.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists per contest.

Albright has also received significant, and consistent, production from O'Donnell, Horka, Morgan Harris and Hardwick off the bench.

The Lions feature the combination of the top offensive team in the conference and the top defensive team in the conference. Albright leads the conference in both scoring offense (68.5) and field goal percentage (.455) and has the best field goal percentage defense (.346).

Albright also leads the league in three-point field goal percentage (.349), rebounds per game (47.2), rebound margin (+9.8), defensive rebounds per game (33.3) and blocked shots per game (4.5).

Game time is set for 4 p.m. on Saturday in the Owings Mills Gymnasium. Tickets are $6 for adults, $4 for senior citizens and $2 for students with a proper identification. Children under the age of six will be admitted free of charge.

A bus will be available to take Albright students to the game. The bus will leave campus at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday and will return to Reading following the conclusion of the game. Students can sign up for the bus trip at the campus center desk.

All Albright students who attend the game will be admitted free of charge with a proper Albright identification card.

Albright Game Notes