WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Senior Jared Rappoport hit a putback lay-up with 0.1 seconds left to lift the Albright Lions men's basketball team to a dramatic 83-81 win in overtime over Lycoming on Wednesday night to start MAC Commonwealth play.
 
With the win, the Lions improve to 2-4 overall and 1-0 in MAC Commonwealth play, while snapping a three-game losing skid. Meanwhile, the Warriors fall to 4-2 overall and 0-1 in conference play.
 
In addition to his last-second heroics, Rappoport finished with 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field and 10 rebounds to pick up a double-double. He also recorded a team-high four blocks in the win. Sophomore Samuel Majekodunmi registered his fourth-straight 20-plus point outing as he tallied a team-high 22 points, added eight rebounds, and dished out four assists. He also went a perfect 8-of-8 at the free throw line. Junior DeLascio Dancy also tallied a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while sophomore Sidney Brown finished with 14 points behind four three-pointers.
 
After each team hit a three-pointer to start the game, the lead traded hands five times in the first five minutes before the Warriors ran off nine-straight points to take a 16-8 lead at the 13:20-mark. A three-pointer from Brown snapped a nearly three minute span without points for the Lions, and started a run of 11-straight points for Albright as they took a 19-16 lead at the 10:31-mark of the first half. Lycoming responded with a 9-2 run over a 2:55 span to regain the lead at 26-21 before the Lions came back again to tie the game at 26 with 5:50 left in the first half. Four of the last five field goals that were scored by each team to close out the half were three-pointers as the Warriors would take a slight 39-36 advantage into halftime.
 
The Warriors came out hot to start the second half as they scored the first eight points of the half behind two three-pointers to take a 47-36 lead at the 17:52-mark. Four-straight points from Majekodunmi brought the Warriors lead down to 47-40. After the Warriors took a 50-40 lead on a three-pointer at the 15:41-mark, the Lions put together an 18-3 run that spanned 4:40 to take a 58-53 lead with 10:20 left in the second half. The Warriors responded with a 9-2 run to take the lead back at 62-60 with 8:17 left in the second half before Albright came back to regain the advantage at 66-64 behind six-straight points from Rappoport. The Lions continued to have the hot hand from beyond the arc as they stretched their lead out to 77-71 at the 2:24-mark following a three-pointer from Dancy. Unfortunately for the Lions, that would be the last field goal they made in the second half as the Warriors scored eight-straight points to take a 79-77 with 18 seconds left in regulation. Majekodunmi was able to draw a foul as he was going up for a lay-up with two seconds left to send him to the free throw line with a chance to tie. He nailed both to force the second-straight overtime contest between the two teams after the Lions dramatic win last February on the final day of the regular season.
 
Dancy quickly got the Lions in front just six seconds into overtime at 81-79, but the period went scoreless until the Warriors tied the game with a pair of free throws at the 1:26-mark. The Lions got the ball back with 25 seconds left in the overtime period following a missed lay-up from the Warriors which set the stage for the heroics. Majekodunmi drove from the right wing to force a lay-up that would bounce off the glass. Fortunately for the Lions, the ball bounced to an open Rappoport as he tipped in the basket on a putback to win the game.
 
The Lions shot 41.1 percent (30-of-73) from the field and nailed 12 three-pointers in the victory. Albright went a perfect 11-of-11 from the free throw line and out-rebounded the Warriors 46 to 41. The rebounds led to 12 second chance points which included the game-winner. Meanwhile, the Warriors shot 39.4 percent (28-of-71) from the field and went 12-of-30 (40%) from beyond the arc. Lycoming went 13-of-17 (76.5%) from the free throw line and scored 17 points off 13 Lions turnovers.
 
Markanthony Fidelis led the Warriors with a game-high 23 points behind going 4-of-7 from beyond the arc and added seven rebounds. Darius James added 21 points and eight rebounds, while D'Yante Doughty posted 13 points, six assists, and five rebounds.
 
Albright will return home on Saturday, December 1^st when they will host Lebanon Valley in a rematch of last season's MAC Commonwealth Tournament Championship game at 3 p.m.