READING, Pa. – Alysha Lofton led four Lions in double figures with 19 points as the Albright women's basketball team wrapped up the regular season with a 70-63 MAC Commonwealth win over Messiah on Senior Day in the Bollman Center on Saturday.

With the win the Lions, who went a perfect 16-0 in conference play for their first undefeated season in the MACC, earned the top seed in the MACC Championships after defeating Messiah twice this season. Albright finished the regular season 21-4, while Messiah went 23-2 and 14-2 in conference play.

Albright, which entered the game on a 10 game winning streak, battled with its opponent throughout the first half. After trading baskets for the majority of the first quarter, Jane Joyce would sink two free throws to hand Albright its first lead of the game at 10-9 with 1:40 remaining. A Lofton jumper put the Lions ahead 12-11 before Messiah's Kristen Smoluk would make one-of-two free throws to knot the score for the sixth time in the quarter at 12.

Both teams continued trading points in the next 10 minutes of action with Messiah collecting the biggest lead. For the second straight quarter, Lofton was the first Lion to score as her two free throws put Albright up 14-12. Nina Mazzarelli extended the Lions lead to 17-14 after draining her only three pointer of the game. Messiah went on a 7-0 run to gather its biggest lead of the half and take a 21-17 lead. The Lions battled back with seconds quickly ticking off the clock. Devan Horka started the Lions comeback by grabbing one of her 11 rebounds. Horka quickly passed the ball to Joyce, who launched the ball at the net and scored a half court buzzer-beater to give the Lions a 24-23 lead heading into halftime.

Much like the first half, Albright and Messiah tested one another as neither team could gain momentum. MiKayla Lea shifted the momentum back to the Lions in the final minutes as the sophomore scored five of the final nine points for Albright, which held a 45-42 lead entering the final 10 minutes of play.

The Lions took control late in the fourth quarter extending their lead to as many as eight points. Lofton and Mazzarelli scored back-to-back buckets for Albright to go ahead 63-55 with 1:34 remaining. Messiah scored four straight points to come within four points with 26 seconds remaining on the clock. Key free throw shooting aided the Lions to victory in the final seconds as Albright went 5-of-6 from the line on its way to a 70-63 victory.

Horka was the lone Lion to record a double-double as the junior finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Lea and Joyce both added 11 points. Along with Morgan Harris and Amara-Niani Jackson, Shannon Thomas played in their final regular season game. Thomas finished with two points. Joyce and Lofton finished with a team-high two assists, while Lofton added five steals and two blocks.

Albright will host the winner of Lebanon Valley and Lycoming on Wednesday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. The Lions are a combined 4-0 against their conference foes. The Lions last defeated Lebanon Valley 84-69 at home on Feb. 4, while they edged Lycoming 80-68 on Feb. 11 on the road.