READING, Pa. – The Albright women's basketball team was unable to outlast Eastern as they dropped a 58-56 conference matchup in the Bollman Center on Wednesday evening.
 
With the loss, the Lions drop to 3-3 in MAC Commonwealth play and 8-4 overall. Meanwhile, the Eagles pick up their fourth-straight win and advance to 3-3 in conference action and 6-8 overall.
 
Senior Gabby Boggs led Albright with 21 points behind 8-for-11 shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds. Senior Amina Rauf followed with eight points on 3-for-9 shooting from the field and 2-for-5 from beyond the arc. Senior Abby Gaffney added seven points on 3-for-8 shooting, five rebounds, and three assists.
 
Albright jumped out with a 6-2 lead with back-to-back baskets from senior Kayana Chisholm and another added by classmate Emma Blewett. The Eagles responded with ten unanswered points to take a 12-6 lead at the 2:45-mark of the first. Boggs earned two trips to the charity stripe and went 3-for-4 from the line and sophomore Frances Glover-Bey knocked down a three to tie the game up at 12. Eastern claimed the last bucket of the first quarter to hold onto a 14-12 lead. Albright used a 6-3 advantage to open up the second stanza and take a one-point lead. The two teams exchanged baskets and the lead but first-year Mackenzie Dover sparked and capped off a 6-1 run for the Lions to give them a 24-20 lead at the 3:58-mark. The two teams closed out the half with four points a piece as Albright held a 28-24 lead entering the break.
 
The Lions opened up the second half with a strong 13-6 run to give them their largest lead at 11-points. The Eagles responded with eight unanswered points to cut their deficit to 41-38 at the 2:20-mark. Sophomore Kamyra Dorsey snapped the run with a three-pointer, but Eastern closed out the third with a 4-2 advantage to cut the Lions lead to 46-42 entering the final stanza. The Eagles used an 8-0 run to take back the lead, bringing the score to 50-46 with 6:13 remaining. A three from Rauf got the Lions within one, but Eastern matched that with a three-pointer of their own to pull ahead 53-49. A 7-4 advantage for the Lions got them back within one with just 16 seconds remaining, but they were forced to foul the Eagles and were unable to get a final shot off as Eastern claimed the 58-56 conference win.
 
Albright shot 22-for-51 (43.1%) from the floor, 4-for-14 (28.6%) from beyond the arc, and 8-for-15 (53.3%) from the charity stripe. The Lions tallied 32 points in the paint and 16 points off caused turnovers. Meanwhile, Eastern shot 21-for-63 (33.3%) from the field, 4-for-14 (28.6%) from three-point range, and 12-for-17 (70.6%) from the free-throw line. The Eagles held a slight 40-39 advantage on the glass.
 
The Lions will return to the Bollman Center on Saturday to host Stevenson in MAC Commonwealth action at 1 p.m.