MECHANICSBURG, Pa. – The Albright women's basketball team dropped their MAC Commonwealth opener at Messiah on Tuesday as they fell 58-42.
 
With the loss, the Lions open conference play up 0-1 and fall to 3-3 overall. Meanwhile, the Falcons advance to 5-1 overall and 1-0 in MAC Commonwealth action.
 
Senior Gabby Boggs recorded her sixth-straight double-double with 11 points on 3-for-7 shooting from the floor and a game-high 15 rebounds. Classmate Amina Rauf followed with eight points on 3-of-12 shooting from the field. Seniors Maggie O'Hare and Brady Wassel added six and five points, respectively. Senior Kayana Chisholm also contributed five points off the bench.
 
The first quarter of action was neck-and-neck as the lead changed seven times. Wassel opened up the game with a layup off a feed from Boggs to give Albright their first lead. The two teams traded baskets, but back-to-back scoring possessions from the Lions put them up 11-8 at the 4:52-mark. The Falcons closed out the first quarter with a 6-2 run to claim a 14-13 lead. Albright pulled in front with the first bucket of the second stanza from Boggs. The game was tied up at 16 at the 7:29-mark, but Messiah heated up with an 11-1 run to take a ten-point lead with 2:27 remaining in the half. Wassel finally snapped the Falcons run with a three to cut the Lions deficit to 27-20. Both teams then exchanged threes and Messiah closed out the half with a layup to hold a 32-23 lead entering the break.
 
Boggs earned a trip to the free throw line in the opening possession of the second half and went 1-for-2 to get the Lions within eight points. The Falcons pulled ahead by double digits again as they scored the next two buckets, bringing the score to 36-24 at the 6:48-mark. Messiah started to pull away in the final five minutes of the third quarter as they went on a 12-3 run to claim a 50-31 lead entering the final stanza. Messiah kept their momentum as they scored the first basket of the fourth quarter to take their largest lead of the game at 21 points. Sophomore Frances Glover-Bey sparked a 6-0 run in an attempt to chip away at the Lion's deficit, bringing the score to 52-37. However, Albright's late efforts would not be enough to overcome Messiah who ultimately claimed the 58-42 win.
 
Albright shot 16-for-52 (30.8%) from the field, 5-for-23 (21.7%) from beyond the arc, and 5-for-11 (45.5%) from the charity stripe. The Lions were only able to tally 20 points in the paint tonight. Meanwhile, Messiah shot 23-for-55 (41.8%) from the floor, 6-for-14 (42.9%) from the three-point line, and 6-for-8 (75%) from the charity stripe. The Falcons saw 19 points from their bench and earned 11 second chance points on the evening. The battle on the glass was even with 36 rebounds per team.
 
The Lions return to action on Saturday, Dec. 4 as they travel to Gwynedd Mercy for non-conference action at 1 p.m.