READING, Pa. – The Albright Lions men's basketball team will host Arcadia in the semifinals of the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Commonwealth Tournament tomorrow, Feb. 26, at 7 p.m.
Tickets: The MAC mandates the prices for adults at $6, senior citizens at $4, Students (with valid ID) and children $2, and for children under 6 with an adult are free. Albright students with a valid ID will be free as well, courtesy of the office of the Senior Vice President for Student and Campus life. All tickets can be purchased at the gate.
Live Coverage: The Albright sports information office will provide live video and live stats for the game. Live updates will also be available throughout the game on the official Twitter feed for Albright athletics (@AlbrightLions).
MAC Commonwealth Tournament: Albright is the No. 2 seed in the tournament and faces the No. 3 seed Arcadia. The winners of the semifinal matchups on Wednesday will play in the championship game on Saturday at the highest remaining seed.
Records: Albright enters the semifinal round with a 15-10 overall record, and locked up the second seed with a 10-6 record in conference play. The Lions have won four-straight games after starting the month of February 0-2. Arcadia ended the regular season at 15-10 overall, and a 10-6 record in league action as well. The Knights have won five of their last six games since falling to the Lions back on January 29
th.
Scouting the Lions: Albright is coming off a 98-75 win over Messiah in its regular season finale this past Saturday. Senior
DeLascio Dancy recorded a career-high 28 points after being honored pregame as a part of senior day ceremonies. The Lions rank fourth in the conference in scoring offense at 77.2 points per game, and fifth in scoring defense at 74.3 points per game. Albright ranks second in the conference in rebounds at 38.7 per game, while leading the league in offensive rebounds. Junior
Samuel Majekodunmi leads the team and ranks third in the conference at 19.3 points per game.
Lions in the Playoffs: Albright has made the MAC Commonwealth Tournament in four-straight years and have advanced to the MAC Commonwealth Tournament semifinals in all four seasons. The Lions will be looking to advance to the MAC Commonwealth Tournament Championship for the third time during that stretch.
Scouting the Knights: Arcadia locked up the No. 3 seed after holding on for an 85-82 win over Lebanon Valley on Saturday. The Knights rank just ahead of the Lions in scoring offense at 77.7 points per game, and just behind Albright in scoring defense at 75.3 points per game. Arcadia ranks second in the conference in team field goal percentage at 44.9 percent. Reigning MAC Commonwealth player of the year Da'Kquan Davis leads the conference, and ranks sixth in all of NCAA Division III in scoring at 26.7 points per game. Davis also ranks fourth in the conference with 6.5 rebounds per game, and sixth with 3.7 assists per game. Senior Steve Pendleton provides a strong 1-2 scoring punch for the Knights as he ranks sixth in the MAC Commonwealth in scoring at 15.8 points per game
The Knights in the Playoffs: Arcadia is making its sixth appearance in the MAC Commonwealth Tournament since joining the league in the 2008-09 season. The Knights won their first-ever MAC Commonwealth Tournament title last season with a dominant 92-56 win over Widener. The defending league champions are seeking a third overall appearance in the MAC Commonwealth Tournament championship game.
Series: The Lions hold the series lead with a 17-9 record after splitting the regular season contests. This will be the third-straight meeting between the two teams in the MAC Commonwealth Tournament semifinals. Albright defeated the Knights 58-45 in the 2018 Commonwealth Tournament at home before Arcadia exacted revenge last season with a 77-73 win on their home court.
Last Meeting: Albright picked up an 86-79 win over Arcadia at the Bollman Center on January 29
th. The Lions started strong and held a 12-point lead at halftime. In the second half, Albright held off a furious Knights rally to even the season series. Sophomore
Corey Simmons registered a career-high 24 points off the bench behind going a perfect 11-of-11 from the field. He became the second player in Lions history to shoot perfect from the field with 10 or more shot attempts.
Head Coaches: Rick Ferry has posted a 273-221 record in 19 seasons as the head coach of Albright. He is currently the second winningest men's basketball coach in Albright history, and this is the 13th time overall that he has led the Lions to the MAC Commonwealth Tournament. Under Ferry, the Lions have won two MAC Commonwealth Championships in addition to making two NCAA Tournament appearances with the previous coming in the 2017-18 season.
Albright graduate Adam Van Zelst is in his first season as the head coach of Arcadia. He has compiled a 15-10 record in his first season at the helm in Glenside. As a four-year member of the Albright men's basketball program, Van Zelst played a major role in leading the Lions to the MAC Commonwealth tournament title and NCAA tournament appearance in 2010. During his senior season Van Zelst was named captain. He spent seven seasons as an assistant under Ferry before spending the 2018-19 season as an assistant coach at Millersville.
Up Next: The winner will advance to the MAC Commonwealth Tournament Championship game on Saturday, February 29th. If the Lions win, they will face the winner of the Lycoming/Widener game.
