READING, Pa. –The Albright men's basketball team fell for the first time in MAC Commonwealth play, losing to Lebanon Valley, 78-70, on Saturday at Bollman Center.

Albright (11-2, 4-1) took an early lead thanks to poor shooting and ball protection by Lebanon Valley (11-4, 5-1). Albright went on a 10-0 run early in the first half to take a 16-3 lead just 5:05 into action. Fred Rowles fueled that run with eight points, including a pair of three pointers.

Lebanon Valley chipped away at the lead, but the Lions held the advantage through most of the first half. Jaylin Calloway scored four straight points to push the lead to 22-14 with 9:35 left in the first, and Brandon Lindsay's three pointer made it 30-25 Albright with 4:43 remaining.

Lebanon Valley pulled ahead in the final two minutes to take a 36-34 lead into the intermission. Though the Dutchmen shot 46.4 percent to Albright's 38.2 percent in the first half, the Lions forced 12 LVC turnovers in the half and 20 for the game.

The Lions retook the lead thanks to an exciting stretch early in the second half. Lindsay nailed another three pointer to give Albright a 45-43 lead, and Jared Rappoport scored on a dunk thanks to an interior pass from Rowles to make it 47-43 with 16:24 left in regulation.

Lebanon Valley, fresh from defeating No. 6 Lycoming on Wednesday night, made its run soon after that sequence. The Dutchmen turned a 49-47 deficit into a 62-51 lead thanks to a 15-2 run spanning five minutes through the middle portion of the second half.

The Lions made one last run with a layup by DeLascio Dancy and three straight points from Rappoport to cut the lead to 64-58 with 6:31 left, but Lebanon Valley responded with eight straight points to lead, 72-58, with 4:18 left in the game.

Lindsay led the Lions with 16 points, including four makes from beyond the arc. Rowles finished with 15 points and seven rebounds, and Rappoport scored 13 points to go with his three steals and two blocks.

Albright was looking for its second-straight 5-0 start in MAC Commonwealth play.

The Lions return to action at No. 6 Lycoming on Wednesday at 5 p.m.