READING, Pa. – After its thrilling 81-73 overtime win against Widener in the semifinal round, the Albright Lions women's basketball team will travel to face No. 18 Messiah in the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Commonwealth Tournament Championship on Saturday, Feb. 29 at 7:30 p.m.
 
Tickets:  The MAC mandates the prices for adults at $6, senior citizens at $4, and students (with valid ID) and children at $2.  Children under six with an adult are free and all tickets can be purchased at the gate.
 
Live Coverage:  The Messiah sports information office will provide live video and live stats for the game.  Links can be found on the Albright women's basketball schedule page.  Live updates can also be found on Albright Athletics' Twitter (@AlbrightLions) and Instagram (@albrightlions).
 
MAC Commonwealth Tournament:  Messiah entered the MAC Commonwealth tournament as the No. 1 seed and will battle No. 3 Albright.  On Wednesday, Messiah defeated No. 4 Stevenson 78-44, and No. 3 Albright rallied past No. 2 Widener to each earn spots in the MAC Commonwealth Championship game.
 
Records:  Albright comes into the match with a 22-4 record on the season and 12-4 mark in the MAC Commonwealth.  Messiah also holds a 22-4 mark overall and sits at 15-1 within conference play.  Albright has fallen to Messiah twice along with Stevenson and Widener once.  Messiah fell to Widener in MAC Commonwealth play and dropped three non-conference games.  Messiah is undefeated with a 12-0 record at home on Jordan Court in the 2019-20 season.  Albright has been ranked in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) poll for 10 weeks, and Messiah has been in the poll for 11 weeks after being selected 10^th in the WBCA preseason poll.
 
Scouting Albright:  Albright's offense leads the MAC Commonwealth with 77.4 points per game and a field goal percentage of .427.  The Lions also pace the conference in rebounding with 47.3 per game and blocked shots, with 6.08 per game.  Sophomore Dejah Terrell continues to lead MAC Commonwealth scoring with 22.5 points per game and in blocks with 3.1 per game.  Classmate Gabby Boggs ranks second in field goal percentage in the conference with .512 and third in rebounding with 12.2 per game.  Boggs averages 11.1 points per game and 2.1 blocks per game for the Lions.  Sophomore Maggie O'Hare ranks second on the team in scoring with 12.3 points per game and 1.6 steals per game.  Classmate Abby Gaffney leads the Lions with 79 assists this season and is second in the conference with a 1.8 assist to turnover ratio.
 
Lions in the Playoffs:  This is the fifth time in the last six years that Albright has advanced to the championship game of the MAC Commonwealth Tournament.  Albright has faced Messiah three times in the past five years in the conference championship game with the sole win coming in the 2015-16 season for the title.
Scouting Messiah:  Messiah has two players in the top-10 scoring within the conference in senior Leah Springer and junior Jayneisha Davis.  Springer, the MAC Commonwealth Offensive Player of the Year, follows Terrell to average 19.3 points per game and is fifth in the conference with 10.6 rebounds per game.  Springer averages 1.8 blocks per game and has tallied 65 assists on the season.  Davis adds 13.4 points per game, and leads the team with 60 steals and 73 assists.  Eleana Eckley averages 12.2 points per game for the Falcons and has shot 41-of-106 from beyond the arc this season.  Sophomore Megan Zimmerman is second in team rebounding with 6.3 per game and adds 8.6 points per game.  Senior Gracie Cryan has started all 26 games for the Falcons and totaled 58 assists and 38 steals.
 
Falcons in the Playoffs:  Messiah, the three-time defending champion, is making its 16^th MAC Commonwealth Championship game appearance and has won 11 conference championship titles.
 
Series:  Albright holds an 8-18 record overall in postseason games against the Falcons.  In the past five years, three of the MAC Commonwealth Championship games have been between Albright and Messiah.  The Falcons defeated the Lions in the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons, while Albright took home its first Conference Championship title in the 2015-16 season.
 
Last Meeting:  The Lions and Falcons have met twice in the 2019-20 season and Messiah has come out on top both times.  On Jan. 18, a slow Lions' start gave Messiah the opportunity to take an early lead.  Terrell scored 41 points for Albright, setting the program single-game scoring record.  Springer and Davis paced the Falcon's scoring with 25 points apiece for an 82-73 Messiah win.  In the final regular season game of the season, Albright hosted Messiah and fell 74-68 to the Falcons.  The score was 34-29 at half and although Albright outscored Messiah 26-23 in the fourth quarter, the rally fell short.
 
Head Coaches:  Albright head coach Janice Luck has posted a 255-210 mark in 18 seasons as the head coach of the Lions.  She is the winningest coach in program history and has guided the Lions to four NCAA appearances and the program's first MAC Commonwealth Championship in the 2015-16 season.
 
In his 34^th year at Messiah, head coach Mike Miller holds a record of 673-242 while leading the Falcons to the NCAA Tournament 19 times in the last 20 years.  Miller and the Falcons have won 11 MAC Commonwealth Championship titles and have appeared in two Division III national championship games during his tenure.
 
Up Next:  The winner of the championship game will earn the MAC Commonwealth's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, while the runner-up will wait to see if an at-large bid to the tournament is earned.