RADNOR, Pa. – The Albright men's basketball team saw its season come to an end in a thrilling NCAA Tournament first round game against Springfield on Friday night, losing to the Pride, 88-86. The game was held at Cabrini.

The Lions never led in the contest, and late in the second half it looked like Springfield may pull away. Springfield had 73-63 lead, but Albright scored eight straight points to cut lead to 73-71, prompting a Springfield timeout with 3:39 to play in regulation.

DeJuan Smith drew contact in the lane with a chance to tie it after a Springfield empty possession, but there was no call. Springfield answered with a three pointer, but Brandon Lindsay came right back with a three of his own from the left wing on a pass from Fred Rowles to make it 76-74.

Springfield again tried to pull away and had an 85-78 lead after a pair of Jake Ross free throws. Ross led the Pride with 24 points. Albright again made a comeback. Albright went on an 8-2 run to cut the deficit to 87-86 with just 38.9 seconds left.

Lindsay scored five points in that run including a three pointer and a put-back after his own miss. Rowles capped the run with two free throws. Rowles finished with 24 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. Lindsay scored 17 points and added five rebounds.

With 38.9 seconds left, the Lions had no need to foul intentionally with a one-point deficit. Albright's defense held strong, and the Lions forced a Springfield miss. The Lions played it out, and a Sidney Brown three pointer was just a bit off the mark. Springfield made a free throw with 0.9 seconds left, and Lindsay's desperation three at the horn fell short.

Smith finished his Albright career with 16 points and five rebounds. Smith ended up with 1,495 points in his Albright career, good for 14^th place on the school's all-time list. Samuel Majekodunmi came off the bench to score 13 points.

Springfield carried a 35-26 lead into halftime. After both teams got off to a slow start, Springfield shot 50 percent from the floor in the first. The Pride outrebounded the Lions, 22-13, and converted its five offensive rebounds into nine second-chance points to just one for the Lions.

The shooting picked up in the second half. Albright made 60 percent of its shots from the floor while Springfield made 63 percent. Springfield also went 8-for-11 from three-point range in the second half. Albright went 7-for-16 from three-point range in the second half after making just one in the first half.

Albright forced 15 turnovers while committing just four of its own. The Lions also had 17 assists.