GLENSIDE, Pa. – DeJuan Smith and Evan Ward each scored 15 points, but a furious second-half rally by Albright fell short as the Lions lost to Arcadia 72-69 in a MAC Commonwealth game on Saturday in the Alumni Gymnasium.
 
Arcadia made 8-of-10 three-point attempts in the first half to take a 44-27 lead at the intermission, but Albright shot 53.8 percent from the floor in the second half to storm back into the game.
 
The Lions trailed 61-50 with 10:05 to play in the game following a free throw by Keith Bacote, but Jaylin Calloway connected on a jumper and Brandon Lindsay hit a three-pointer to bring Albright to within 61-55 with 9:13 to play.
 
John Landro converted two free throws for Arcadia, but Ward answered with a layup to cut the lead to 63-57 at the 8:28 mark of the second half.
 
Ryan Kelley hit a pair of free throws for the Knights to up the lead to 65-57, but Albright got a layup from Smith and a free throw by Calvert Gantz to climb to within 65-60 with 6:58 left in the game.
 
Alex Cohen answered with a layup for Arcadia, but four consecutive free throws from Smith brought Albright to within 67-64 with 3:04 remaining in the game.
 
Josh Scott made 1-of-2 free throws to up the margin to 68-64, but Omari Ringgold converted a three-point play to trim the lead to 68-67 with 2:42 left in the contest.
 
Scott made a layup for the Knights on their next trip down the floor, but Ward scored inside for the Lions to bring Albright to within 70-69 with 1:33 remaining.
 
Kelley missed a layup on Arcadia's next possession, but the Lions failed to convert when they misfired on a jumper with 44 seconds to play.
 
Landro made two free throws with 21 seconds left in the game to up the lead to 72-69 and the Lions missed a game-tying three-point attempt with eight seconds left to play.
 
Arcadia improved to 12-4 overall and 5-2 in the MAC Commonwealth, while Albright dropped to 6-10 on the season and 3-4 in league play.
 
Smith also added seven assists and four rebounds, while Ward collected a game-high 11 rebounds to post his seventh double-double in the last nine games.
 
Kelley finished with 23 points, including making 5-of-6 from the three-point line, and Landro added 20 points for the Knights.
 
Albright returns to action on Wednesday (Jan. 20) when it hosts Alvernia at 8 p.m. in the Bollman Center in a MAC Commonwealth game.