CHESTER, Pa. – The Albright men's basketball team forced turnovers on three consecutive Widener possessions in the final 1:14 to help preserve an 83-78 victory in MAC Commonwealth action on Wednesday night.

The Lions led by as many as 15 in the second half and held a 10-point lead with 4:33 to play on a Brandon Lindsay three pointer to make it 80-70, but that would be the last Albright field goal of the game. Widener responded with an 8-0 run over the next 3:16 to cut its deficit to 80-78, but that set up the key defensive sequence for Albright.

Samuel Majekodunmi stole the ball from Sardayah Sambo with 1:14 left. He was fouled but missed the front end of the 1-and-1. Sambo again turned the ball over on the next possession after the free throw miss, but Albright responded in kind with a turnover of its own.

Majekodunmi got another steal with just 21 seconds remaining to keep the score at 80-78. On that Albright possession, Garrett Oplinger made a free throw to make it 81-78 with 19 seconds left. Tyler Drews missed a game-tying three-point attempt on the next trip for Widener, and Oplinger grabbed the rebound before being fouled. He sank both free throws with just three seconds remaining to put the nail in the coffin.

Lindsay led Albright scorers with 21 points. Jared Rappoport (14 points) and Fred Rowles (10 points) joined Lindsay in double figures. Rowles and DeJuan Smith each had seven rebounds to lead the Lions. Smith chipped in with seven points and four assists. Majekodunmi had nine points and four assists while Jaylin Calloway had eight points.

Albright (6-1, 3-0) won its first three MAC Commonwealth games for the second season in a row. Last year, the Lions started 5-0 in conference play on its way to a berth in the MAC Commonwealth championship game.

The Lions return to action on Friday night at home in a non-conference game against No. 25 Franklin & Marshall.