READING, Pa. – The Albright women's basketball team fell 55-47 to Lebanon Valley in overtime on Saturday in the Bollman Center.
Prior to the contest, Albright honored its seven seniors on the women's basketball team:
Kayana Chisholm,
Abby Gaffney,
Gabby Boggs,
Maggie O'Hare,
Emma Blewett,
Amina Rauf, and
Brady Wassel.
With the loss, the Lions drop to 7-7 in MAC Commonwealth action and 12-8 overall. Meanwhile, the Dutchmen advance to 6-9 in conference and 11-13 overall.
Boggs led all scorers with 18 points behind 6-for-15 shooting and added six rebounds, three blocks, and two steals. Rauf followed with 11 points on 4-for-11 shooting from the floor and 2-for-6 from beyond the arc. Gaffney notched ten points on 4-for-12 shooting and Wassel grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds.
The Lions got off to a 6-3 lead with back-to-back baskets from Boggs and a layup from Gaffney. From there, the Lions struggled to find the bottom of the net as the Dutchmen closed out the first quarter on an 8-2 run to hold an 11-8 lead. Lebanon Valley kept their momentum, netting the first basket of the second quarter to hold a five-point lead. Sophomore
Frances Glover-Bey sparked a 7-2 run for the Lions capped off with a three from Rauf to tie the game up at 15 at the 6:14-mark. The Dutchmen responded with eight unanswered points to take a 23-15 lead. Albright closed out the first half with a 6-2 run to cut their deficit to 25-21 entering the break.
The Lions came out of the half with back-to-back baskets from Boggs and Rauf to tie the game back up at 25. Lebanon Valley took the lead once again with a 7-4 advantage with 5:27 remaining in the third. A pair of free-throws from Boggs and a basket from Gaffney gave Albright a 33-32 lead, but four straight Lebanon Valley points put them back in front. Boggs notched the final basket of the third quarter to stay within reach, bringing the score to 36-35. The Dutchmen opened the final stanza with six unanswered points to take a 42-35 lead. Seven-straight points from the Lions then tied up the contest at 42 with 2:56 remaining in regulation. Neither team was able to net another as they game was sent into overtime
Lebanon Valley dominated in the overtime session, coming out with back-to-back buckets to take a four-point lead. The two teams then traded baskets, but six-straight points for the Dutchmen put them ahead 54-45 with 14 seconds remaining. Rauf tallied a final basket for the Lions, but Lebanon Valley solidified their 55-47 overtime victory.
Albright shot 18-for-58 (31%) from the floor, 2-for-11 (18.2%) from beyond the arc, and 9-for-11 (81.8%) from the charity stripe. The Lions tallied 28 points in the paint and held a slight 42-39 rebound advantage. Meanwhile, Lebanon Valley shot 21-for-57 (36.8%) from the field, 4-for-18 (22.2%) from three-point range, and 9-for-16 (56.3%) from the free-throw line. The Dutchmen saw 21 points off their bench and tallied 26 points in the paint.
The Lions will return for their final regular season game on Tuesday against York at 6 p.m.
