CHESTER, Pa. – A buzzer-beating bank shot at the end of regulation and 10-0 Widener run in overtime spoiled a second-half comeback by the Albright men's basketball team Saturday afternoon as the Lions fell to the Pride, 89-78.
Omari Ringgold scored a season-high 22 points to lead Albright at the offensive end.
The lead swung back-and-forth late in the second half after Albright came back from a 34-25 halftime deficit. Even with the comeback, the Lions were trailing, 65-60, with 2:23 left in regulation. Ringgold nailed a three to make it 65-63, and after a stop,
Fred Rowles hit another three pointer to push Albright into the lead, 66-65, with 52 seconds left.
After two Widener free throws to retake the lead,
Garrett Oplinger coolly sank a three from the right corner to make it 69-67 Albright with 34 seconds left. The Lions forced a turnover, and
DeJuan Smith made two free throws to make it 71-67 with 13 seconds left. Widener responded with a three pointer to make it 71-70, and it fouled Ringgold with three seconds left. He sank both foul shots to give the Lions a 73-70 lead.
After a Widener timeout, Sam Smith took the long inbounds pass and dribbled up the left side. His running three pointer at the buzzer banked in to send the game to overtime.
In overtime,
Jayson Clark hit a layup to give the Lions a 75-74 lead with 4:11 remaining. At that point, Widener countered with a 10-0 run that Ringgold ended with a three pointer to make it 84-78 Widener with 41 seconds left. But Widener hit 5-of-6 free throws down the stretch to close out the win.
Albright chipped away at Widener's nine-point halftime lead over the course of several minutes in the second half. Albright took a 44-43 lead thanks to an 8-0 run that was fueled by three pointers by Ringgold and Oplinger.
Oplinger had 10 points and five rebounds off the bench. Smith had 13 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
Fred Rowles also scored 13 points.
The game featured 14 lead changes and five tie scores, all in the second half and overtime as Albright dug itself out of an early 12-2 hole.
Albright returns home Wednesday to face Arcadia at 8 p.m.
