READING, Pa. – The Albright Lions men's basketball team will travel to face Lebanon Valley in the 2021 Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Commonwealth Championship Game tomorrow, Mar. 18, at 7 p.m.
On March 3rd, the MAC has reaffirmed a previous decision that spectators will NOT be permitted at any athletics events until further notice. No individuals outside of those deemed necessary to conduct the event may attend, including students, faculty or staff.
Live Coverage: The Lebanon Valley Athletic Communications 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 Standings: This season, the top two finishers in the MAC Commonwealth standings earned a berth into the Commonwealth Championship Game. The first place team gained hosting rights to the championship game. Albright finished second in the standings just behind the Dutchmen.
Records: Albright finished the 2021 regular season with a 6-3 overall record and a 5-2 mark in conference play. The Lions won five-straight games after starting the season 1-2. Meanwhile, the Dutchmen finished 8-2 overall and 7-2 in conference action. Lebanon Valley has gone 2-2 in its last four games after starting the season 6-0.
Scouting the Lions: Albright split with Alvernia in its final home-and-home series of the 2021 season. The Lions triumphed 90-83 at Alvernia to lock up the conference title game berth before dropping a heartbreaker last Friday in overtime, 83-81, following a Golden Wolve three-pointer at the buzzer. Albright ranks third highest in the conference in scoring at 79.4 and second fewest in points allowed at 74.0. The Lions lead the conference in rebounding at 43.7 per game and are second in team field goal percentage at 44.3 percent. Junior
Corey Simmons leads the team and ranks fifth in the conference in scoring at 15.4 points per game, and leads the conference with 9.3 rebounds per game. Simmons has recorded three double-doubles this season.
Lions in the Championship Game: Albright will be making its fifth appearance in the MAC Commonwealth Championship Game since the MAC went to the Commonwealth-Freedom conference format in 1993-94. The Lions last conference title came in 2009-10 when they defeated Lycoming 87-74 on the road. Albright is 2-2 in the previous four championship game appearances.
Scouting the Dutchmen: Lebanon Valley split its final home-and-home series with Stevenson last week. The Dutchmen locked in their championship game berth with a 94-88 win at Stevenson before suffering a 78-69 loss at home last Friday. The Dutchmen rank second in the conference in scoring at 80.1 points per game, lead the conference in scoring margin, and are allowing the fewest points per game at 73.8. Lebanon Valley leads the conference in field goal percentage at 47.7 percent. The Dutchmen have their two leading scorers ranking in the top five in points per game in the MAC Commonwealth. Collin Jones leads the team and ranks second in the MAC Commonwealth with 20.4 points per game, and ranks second to Simmons in rebounding at 8.9 per game. Zach Tucker ranks fifth in the conference at 15.7 points per game. Luis Garcia ranks second in the conference in assists per game at 3.6.
The Dutchmen in the Championship Game: Lebanon Valley will be making its sixth appearance in the conference championship game since the MAC went to the Commonwealth-Freedom divisions in the 1993-94 season. The Dutchmen defeated Albright 70-68 in the 2017-18 championship game on a last second three-pointer to win its first conference title since the 1994-95 season. Lebanon Valley is 2-3 in the previous five championship game appearances during that stretch.
Series: The Lions hold the series lead with an 81-71 mark after splitting contests with the Dutchmen in 2019-20. This will be the third time that the schools will face each other in the MAC Commonwealth Championship game, with the other meetings coming in 2004-05 and 2017-18.
Last Meeting: The two teams did not face each other during the 2021 season. In 2019-20, the Dutchmen earned a 91-87 win over the Lions back on February 8
th, 2020 at the Bollman Center. In a high-scoring affair, the Dutchmen were able to hold off a last minute charge from the Lions. Tucker and Baker paced the Dutchmen with 21 points apiece, while five Lions scored in double-figures.
Head Coaches: Rick Ferry has posted a 280-225 record in 20 seasons as the head coach of Albright. He is currently the second winningest men's basketball coach in Albright history, and this is the 14th time overall that he has led the Lions to a conference postseason berth. Under Ferry, the Lions have won two MAC Commonwealth Championships in addition to making three NCAA Tournament appearances with the previous coming in the 2017-18 season.
Brad McAlester is in his 27th season as the head coach of Lebanon Valley. McAlester is the winningest coach in the program's history with a 397-303 record. The Dutchmen have won a pair of MAC Commonwealth Championships under McAlester's tutelage, and have qualified for the NCAA Tournament five times. This is the fifth time in his time at Annville that he has led the Dutchmen to the conference championship game.
