YORK, Pa. – The Albright men's basketball team earned a 79-69 conference win on the road at York on Wednesday evening.
 
With the win, the Lions advance to 4-4 in MAC Commonwealth action and 8-8 overall. Meanwhile, the Spartans drop to 2-6 in conference and 6-7 overall.
 
Four Lions reached double figures as junior Sean Miller posted a career-high 17 points behind 7-for-13 shooting from the field, four steals, and three assists. Senior Isaiah Harris neared a double-double tallying 14 points on 5-for-8 shooting and nine rebounds. Senior Troy Smoot added 14 points as well behind 5-for-9 shooting from the field and 2-for-3 from beyond the arc, four rebounds, and three assists. Senior Sidney Brown notched 13 points on 5-for-15 shooting, four rebounds, and three steals.
 
It was a back-and-forth battle to open up the game as the two teams traded leads. York tied the game up at 12 at the 12:21-mark, but Albright scored seven-straight to take a 19-12 lead. The Spartans took back the momentum and scored seven-straight points of their own to tie the game back up at 19 at the 7:54-mark. The two teams traded threes but Harris sparked a 9-4 run for the Lions to take a 31-36 lead. York then scored on back-to-back possessions to tie the game up at 31. Albright closed out the half on a 6-1 run jump started by junior Sean Miller and capped off by Harris to hold onto a 37-32 lead entering the break.
 
Brown knocked down a three the first possession of the second half to help the Lions to an eight-point lead. York responded with a 10-4 run that cut their deficit to 44-42 and forced an Albright timeout at the 14:53-mark. Albright used the timeout to fuel a 10-4 run, bringing their lead back up to eight. The Spartans stopped the run with a three to bring the score to 54-49 at the 11:38-mark. Brown then sparked a 7-1 run for Albright that was capped off by Miller to give the Lions a double-digit lead at 61-50. Eight unanswered points for York would get them back within three with 6:50 left to play. The Lions put their foot on the gas in the closing minutes of action, going on a 14-4 run that gave them a comfortable 75-62 lead with less than two minutes remaining. The Spartans closed out the game with a 7-4 advantage, but it would not be enough to overcome the Lions who claimed the 79-69 victory on the road.
 
Albright shot 3-for-60 (50%) from the floor, 8-for-21 (38.1%) from beyond the arc, and 11-for-21 (52.4%) from the charity stripe. The Lions won the battle for boards 38-35 and tallied 34 points in the paint and 19 second chance points. Meanwhile, York shot 21-for-54 (38.9%) from the field, 6-for-21 (28.6%) from three-point range, and 21-for-31 (67.7%) from the free-throw line. The Spartans netted 30 points in the paint and converted 20 points off turnovers.
 
Albright will open the second round of conference play on Wednesday, Jan. 26 in the Bollman Center as they host Messiah at 7 p.m.