READING, Pa. – The Albright men's basketball team locked up a berth in the MAC Commonwealth Championship game with a 90-83 win over Alvernia on Thursday night in conference action.
 
With the win, the Lions improve to 6-2 overall and 5-1 in MAC Commonwealth play behind their fifth-straight win. Albright will face Lebanon Valley next Thursday for the MAC Commonwealth Championship after both teams clinched top two finishes in the conference standings tonight. Meanwhile, the Golden Wolves fall to 4-2 overall and 3-2 in conference play. The Lions have now won five-straight games at Alvernia's Physical Education Center (PEC).
 
All five Lion starters finished in double-figures for scoring against the Golden Wolves. Senior Sidney Brown led the Lions with a team-high 23 points behind going 5-of-9 from three-point range. Brown also hauled in six rebounds, dished out five assists, and grabbed three steals. Classmate Samuel Majekodunmi posted 21 points, five rebounds, and four assists in the victory. Majekodunmi was key down the stretch for the Lions as he went 11-of-14 from the free throw line. Junior Corey Simmons registered his third double-double of the season as he scored 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field, and grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds. The 18 rebounds were the most in a game by any Lions player since Thomas Vazzana pulled down 18 against Delaware Valley in 2014. Sophomore Jordan Guerrero tallied 14 points and nine rebounds, while senior Isaiah Harris rounded out the starts with 10 points and three rebounds. Sophomore Sean Miller also played a key role in the Lions victory with a career-high seven assists.
 
Albright started strong as they raced out to a 6-0 lead just 1:25 into the contest. The Golden Wolves went on a 7-2 run to cut the deficit down to 8-7 at the 16:54-mark. Albright extended its lead out to 14-9 with 15:32 remaining in the first half after making three-straight field, and went up seven points at 21-14 following a three-pointer from Guerrero. The Golden Wolves used an 8-0 run to take its first lead of the contest at 22-21 with 8:15 remaining in the first half. Albright responded with a 13-4 run over the span of 4:33 to take a 34-26 lead at the 2:40-mark of the first half. The Lions took its largest lead of the half at 38-28 with 1:54 remaining in the first half following a three-pointer from Majekodunmi. Alvernia closed the half out with the final four points to cut the Lions lead down to 38-32 at halftime.
 
Following a Golden Wolve three-pointer to open the second half, the Lions reeled off 12-straight points to take its largest lead of the game at 50-35 with 16:36 remaining in regulation. However, the Golden Wolves countered with 11-straight points in just 2:04 to cut the Lions lead down to 50-46. Alvernia continued its run by rallying to tie the game at 54 with 12:17 left in the second half before the Lions responded with four-straight points to go up 58-54. Back-to-back three-pointers from the Golden Wolves gave them their first lead of the second half at 60-58 with 11:19 left in regulation. A layup from Simmons at the 10:15-mark put Albright back ahead by one point and started a run of six-straight points for the Lions to put them up 67-62. Alvernia was able to tie the game one last time at the 6:23-mark, but a three-pointer from Majekodunmi gave Albright the lead for good. Free throws pushed the Lions lead out to 81-73 at the 3:32-mark, and they would not let the lead get under five points for the rest of the game. Albright went 8-of-9 from the free throw line in the final minute to seal the win over its crosstown rival.
 
The Lions shot 40.9 percent from the field (27-of-66) and went 9-of-28 (32.1%) from three-point range. Albright went a solid 27-of-35 (77.1%) from the free throw line, and held a sizable 57-38 rebounding advantage that led to a 13-4 edge in second chance points. Meanwhile, the Golden Wolves shot 41.9 percent (31-of-74) from the field and went 12-of-29 (41.4%) from three-point range. Alvernia went 9-of-16 (56.3%) from the free throw line and received 35 points from its bench.
 
Jacob Kelly led all scorers on the floor with 24 points behind going 5-of-10 from beyond the arc. Keon Taylor posted a line of 20 points, nine assists, six rebounds, and two blocks for the Golden Wolves. Malik Green, the leading scorer in the MAC Commonwealth, posted 17 points, nine rebounds, and four steals.
 
The two teams will face each other again tomorrow night, March 12^th at the Bollman Center as the Lions will celebrate its senior night with a 7 p.m. tip-off.