READING, Pa. – The Albright men's basketball team picked up a dominant 81-64 MAC Commonwealth win over Stevenson in the Bollman Center on Saturday.
 
With the win, the Lions advance to 3-4 in conference action and 7-8 overall. Meanwhile, the Mustangs fall to 3-4 in conference and 8-6 overall.
 
Senior Troy Smoot posted a double-double and led all scorers with 20 points behind 7-for-11 shooting from the field and 3-for-6 from beyond the arc, 10 rebounds, and added six assists. Senior Deion Booker recorded a career-high 18 points on 6-for-10 shooting from the floor and 3-for-6 from three-point range. Senior Sidney Brown notched 15 points on 5-for-14 shooting from the field and 3-for-5 from beyond the arc. Sophomore Dylan McGinley added nine points behind 4-for-5 shooting off the bench.
 
Albright came out of the gates with a 10-4 run capped off with a three from Booker to take the early lead. The Mustangs tied the game up at 10 following back-to-back shots from downtown. The Lions responded with a 7-2 run to pull ahead 17-12 at the 12:17-mark. The Mustangs then used a 12-2 run to take their first lead of the game at 24-19. Junior Robert Mangum snapped the run with a three-pointer and McGinley tied the game up at 24 with a bucket at the 7:05-mark. The two teams then traded leads, but the Lions got back in front with a bucket from first-year Eric Chamberlain and an and-one from McGinley to bring the score to 31-28. The Mustangs took back the lead with an 8-4 run, but Brown netted a pair of free-throws to put Albright up 37-36 at the break.
 
The Lions heated up in the second half, opening with a 16-4 run to claim a 53-40 lead at the 15:09-mark. The two teams traded baskets as the Lions continued to hang onto a 13-point lead. The Lions then netted eight unanswered points, fueled by Smoot and Chamberlain, to take their largest lead at 20-points and bringing the score to 68-48 with 8:21 remaining. The Mustangs finally found some momentum and used a 15-4 run to cut their deficit to nine at the 2:59-mark. The Lions got back to controlling the pace as they closed out the game on a 9-1 run to solidify their 81-64 victory.
 
Albright shot 28-for-63 (44.4%) from the floor, 11-for-26 (42.3%) from beyond the arc, and 14-for-20 (70%) from the charity stripe. The Lions notched 22 points in transition and saw 21 points from their bench. Meanwhile, Stevenson shot 22-for-62 (35.5%) from the field, 6-for-22 (27.3%) from three-point range, and 14-for-17 (82.4%) from the free-throw line. The Mustangs saw 21 points off their bench as well and tallied 28 points in the paint. Albright held a slight 41-40 advantage on the boards.
 
The Lions will return to action on Wednesday as they travel to York for MAC Commonwealth action at 8 p.m.