ST. DAVID's Pa. – Men's basketball (16-7, 11-2 MAC Commonwealth) continues to play team basketball resulting in their eighth straight win with an 83-78 win over Eastern (10-14, 3-10 MAC Commonwealth) on the road. Albright has won eight straight games for the first time since the 1973-74 season. The win keeps the Lions in the drivers seat for the Commonwealth's number one seed in the playoffs.
The Lions clinched a playoff berth in last week's win over York. With a win on Saturday at Widener, Albright will be the number one seed in the 2024-25 MAC Commonwealth playoffs.
Albright trailed by as many as nine points in the first half but found their groove midway through the opening 20 minutes closing the half on a 22-5 run entering halftime with a 46-38 lead.
The Lions never trailed in the second half maintaining a lead over the upset hungry Eastern Eagles.
Jeremiah Stanton hit a big jump shot in the lane with 26 seconds to put Albright up five.
Qadir Mitchell buried two free throws in the closing seconds to secure the win 83-78.
The 11 conference wins are the most in a season since the 2017-18 season. A win on Saturday over Widener would tie the 17-18 team with 12 conference wins.
Three Lions ended with three in double figures led by
Eric Chamberlain with 19. Chamberlain added six rebounds, four assists and two steals in another stellar performance from the senior guard.
Dupre was an efficient 7-11 from the floor including two made threes for 17 points. Dupree has been the leading shot blocker in the country for the better part of the last month, adding five more blocks tonight.
Jeremiah Stanton rounded out the Lions in double figures with 12 while adding seven rebounds and five assists in 28 minutes of game action.
Joey Callahan and
Qadir Mitchell were strong off the bench, giving Albright two more scoring options. Callahan scored nine points on 3-4 shooting from three-point range, Mitchell knocked down one three on his way to seven points.
Albright registered 17 total assists while having less team turnovers than Eastern. The bench came up big once again, outscoring Eastern 22-17.
Up Next:
Albright will be on the road against Widener on Saturday February 22 for their last regular season game of the season. A win over the Pride secures the top seed in the MAC Commonwealth playoffs.
