READING, Pa. – The Albright men's basketball team was unable to overcome a strong shooting Hood team as they fell 86-71 in the Bollman Center on Saturday.
 
With the loss, the Lions fall to 0-3 in MAC Commonwealth action and 2-5 overall. Meanwhile, the Blazers improve to 3-0 in conference and 6-2 overall.
 
Senior Sidney Brown led the Lions in scoring with 16 points on 6-for-18 shooting from the field and 4-for-12 from beyond the arc. Brown also added four steals, four rebounds, and three assists. Junior Zyon Grant followed with 15 points on 5-for-15 shooting from the field and 3-for-7 from the three-point line. Junior Jordan Guerrero posted a double-double with ten points on 3-for-6 shooting from beyond the arc and 11 boards. Junior Sean Miller added nine points on 2-for-5 shooting from the floor and four assists. First-year Eric Chamberlain contributed eight points and four assists off the bench.
 
The Blazers opened up the game with a 10-2 run to take an early lead of the Lions. Albright finally got momentum with a 10-2 run of their own to tie the game up at 12 at the 12:53-mark. A 7-2 run by Hood pushed them ahead by five with 10:59 left in the first. An and-one play from sophomore Isaac Lapierre and a three-pointer from Chamberlain gave the Lions their first lead of the game at 20-19. The lead then changed twice more before Hood regained the lead following a three-pointer at the 8:24-mark to bring the score to 24-23. Senior Isaiah Harris shifted the momentum with an and-one play to give Albright the lead again at the 7:33-mark. Senior Deion Booker then knocked down a pair of free-throws to put the Lions ahead 28-24. Hood responded with a 6-2 run to tie the game up at 30 with under five minutes in the half. The Blazers then used an 14-6 run to pull ahead by seven, bringing the score to 44-39 entering the break.
 
Hood came out of the half with an 8-3 to increase their lead to ten. Back-to-back threes from Guerrero and Brown carried a 6-2 run for the Lions to cut their deficit to 54-48. Hood then used an 11-5 run to pull ahead by 12 at the 11:15-mark. Brown snapped the run with a bucket to get the Lions back within ten.  The two teams continued to trade baskets, but Hood eventually built their largest lead at 17 with just 2:22 remaining. The Lions closed out the game with an 8-6 advantage, but it would not be enough to overcome Hood who claimed the 86-71 conference win.
 
Albright shot 22-for-58 (37.9%) from the floor, 13-for-31 (41.9%) from beyond the arc, and 14-for-19 from the charity stripe. The Lions netted 17 points in transition and saw 19 points from the bench. Meanwhile, Hood shot 28-for-58 (48.3%) from the field, 12-for-29 (41.4%) from beyond the arc, and 18-for-26 (69.2%) from the charity stripe. The Blazers won the battle on the boards 41-34 and notched 32 points in the paint.
 
The Lions return to action on Sunday, Dec. 19 as they take on St. Mary's College of Maryland in the d3 Naples Shootout at 1 p.m.