MONTCLAIR, N.J. -- From the first practice of the season, Albright head coach Janice Luck talked to her team about winning the MAC Commonwealth Championship and earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament. That kind of talk would be taboo for some coaches, but Luck wanted her team to understand what the expectations were for the 2015-16 Lions. That goal was realized when Albright topped Messiah in the conference championship game last Saturday. Now the Lions go about the business of seeing what they can do now that they have arrived.

Albright will face Husson in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday (March 4) at 5 p.m. in the Panzer Athletic Ceter. The host Montclair State will meet SUNY-Poly at 7 p.m. and the two winners will meet on Saturday (March 5) at 5 p.m.

"We understand that whoever we play will be an outstanding team," said Luck. "There are no easy games in the NCAA Tournament. We will have to play well in order to beat Husson."

Albright has certainly been playing well as of late. The Lions have reeled off a school record 13-game winning streak and enter Friday's game with a 25-2 overall record and are ranked No. 8 in the nation.

"Our strength all season has been our ability to get production from the entire team," Luck added. "We aren't just about one player. When teams have tried to take something away from us we have had players step up in those situations."

Senior Kelecia Harris and sophomore Nina Mazzarelli are the Lions top two scorers.

Harris, who ranks as one of the top players in Albright history, has had an outstanding final season. She leads the team averaging 14.7 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocked shots per contest. Harris is also ranked third in Division III shooting 67.5 percent from the field.

Mazzarelli was named the Most Valuable Player of the MAC Commonwealth Tournament after averaging 22.0 points per game in the victories over Lebanon Valley and Messiah. For the season, the sophomore transfer is second on the team averaging 12.9 points per game and leads the Lions with 48 three-point baskets.

Albright also features three players who earned all-conference honors this season. Harris earned first-team honors, while Shannon Thomas was named Second Team All-MAC Commonwealth and Jane Joyce was selected honorable mention all-conference.

Thomas, who also was named second team all-conference last season, ranks third on the team averaging 9.6 points per game. She is second on the team with 82 assists and 42 three-point baskets.

Joyce is the engine for the Albright machine as she leads the Lions averaging 3.4 assists per contest. She also averages 6.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.

The Lions starting five is rounded out by multi-purpose sophomore Alysha Lofton. Lofton averages 8.4 points per game, ranks second on the team with 7.8 rebounds per contest, leads the team with 62 steals and shoots 43.3 percent from the floor.

Albright's bench is deep and talented led by senior Emily O'Donnell. O'Donnell who scored 14 points in the MAC Commonwealth Championship game, averages 7.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and shoots 53.3 percent from the floor.

Morgan Harris, Devan Horka, Xio Toledo, MiKayla Lea and Amara-Niani Jackson provide plenty of options for Albright off the bench.

Husson enters the game with a 21-6 overall record and is led by 2015-16 North Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year Kissy Walker. Walker guided the Eagles to their eighth NCAA Tournament appearance and their first 20-win season in 12 years.

Freshman Kenzie Worcester, the NAC Most Valuable Player, leads the Eagles averaging 13.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 2.6 assists per game.

Senior Victoria McIntyre, the 2015-16 NAC Player of the Year, is second on the team averaging 12.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, while junior NAC Defensive Player of the Year Chandler Guerrette is averaging 10.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.3 steals per contest.