MONTCLAIR, N.J. -- If the Albright women's basketball team was experiencing nerves for its first round NCAA Tournament game against Husson on Friday at the Panzer Athletic Center it certainly wasn't evident. Nina Mazzarelli had 13 points and Jane Joyce added nine points, nine rebounds, four assists and five steals as the Lions cruised to a 76-46 victory over the Eagles.

Albright, which improved to 26-2 on the season, never trailed against Husson and used its trademark third quarter to pull away from the Eages. The Lions held a comfortable 33-22 lead at halftime and then outscored Husson 21-7 in the third quarter on its way to its first-ever NCAA Tournament victory.

Mazzarelli scored all 13 of her points in the first half and the Lions bench took over from there. MiKayla Lea had a career-high 13 points off the bench and also finished with nine rebounds.

Ten of the 11 Albright players scored in the game and no Lion played more than 29 minutes.

The Albright defense was at the forefront of the game as it limited Husson to just 23.3 percent shooting and its lowest point total of the season. The Lions also dominated the glass as they held a 61-34 advantage over the Eagles.

Albright, which extended its school-record winning streak to 14 straight, also received 10 points and eight rebounds from senior Emily O'Donnell. Kelecia Harris finished with nine points and eight rebounds and Alysha Lofton finished with eight points and 10 rebounds.

Husson, which saw its season end with a 21-7 overall record, was led by Chandler Guerrette who had 13 points. Kenzie Worcester finished with 11 points and five steals for the Eagles.

Three three-pointers by Mazzarelli sparked a 16-4 run to open the game for the Lions.

A layup by Mazzarelli gave Albright an 18-7 lead with 2:11 to play in the first quarter, but Husson responded with a three-pointer by Victoria McIntyre and a three-pointer by Darla Morales to cut the lead to 18-13 after one quarter.

Albright opened the second quarter on a 7-2 run, which was capped by a three-pointer by Shannon Thomas to take a 25-15 lead with 6:26 to play before halftime.

A three-pointer by Guerrette trimmed the Albright lead to 29-22, but a layup by Harris and two free throws by Mazzarelli gave the Lions a 33-22 lead at halftime.

Albright opened the third quarter with a layup by Thomas and Joyce followed with a three-point play to increase the lead to 38-22 with 7:43 to play in the third.

O'Donnell added a layup to extend the Lions lead to 40-22 at the 7:20 mark of the quarter.

Lea scored six consecutive points to close the quarter to give the Lions a 54-29 lead.

Albright held as much as a 31-point lead on two separate occasions in the fourth quarter.

Albright advances to the second round of the NCAA Tournament where it will meet the winner of the Montclair State-SUNY Poly game at 5 p.m. on Saturday (March 5).