GRANTHAM, Pa. – Alysha Lofton scored a career-high 31 points as the Albright women's basketball team handed No. 22 Messiah its first loss of the season on Saturday afternoon, 85-82. With the win, Albright (12-4, 7-0) moves into sole possession of first place in the MAC Commonwealth. Lofton's 31 points are tied for seventh-most in a single game in program history.

Albright trailed by five points, 60-55, heading into the fourth quarter. After a Falcons' bucket made it 62-55, the Lions scored eight straight points to take the lead. Shannon Thomas hit a three pointer to start that run, and Lofton scored the next five points to give Albright a 63-62 lead with 7:10 left in regulation.

Devan Horka's layup gave the Lions a 73-68 lead with 4:03 left, but Messiah (15-1, 6-1) tied the score at 73 just a minute later. Thomas and Lofton scored the next nine points for Albright as the Lions took the lead for good. Thomas' three pointer in transition made it 82-75 Albright with 1:21 left. Messiah fought back, though, cutting the deficit to a single possession at 85-82 on a made three with just five seconds left. A pair of missed free throws for Albright gave the ball back to Messiah with a chance to tie, but a three pointer at the buzzer was too strong.

Extended runs on each side in the first half had both teams ahead by double digits at different points. The Lions jumped out first, scoring 16 consecutive points after Messiah opened the game with a basket. Lofton had nine of the points in that time, and her layup capped the run at 16-2 Albright with 6:01 to play in the first quarter. Nina Mazzarelli also had a three pointer on that run.

MiKayla Lea hit a layup with just over a minute to play in the first to make it 26-12 Albright. From that point until the 6:15 mark of the third quarter, Messiah outscored Albright, 44-16. Jen Fairbanks' layup at that time gave Messiah a 56-42 lead. Lofton completed a three-point play and Jane Joyce hit a three pointer at the buzzer to cut the Messiah lead to 60-55 heading into the fourth quarter.

Lofton's 31 points led four Albright players in double figures. Joyce and Thomas each had 15 points. Joyce also had a team-highs with nine rebounds and six assists. Mazzarelli had 11 points. Albright assisted on 21 of its 29 field goals.

Albright hosts Alvernia on Wednesday at 6 p.m.