READING, Pa. – The Albright College men's basketball team nearly forced overtime in its season opener on Saturday night, but a potential game-tying shot at the buzzer came up short as the Lions suffered a narrow 78-76 setback to Lebanon Valley College.
With an entirely new starting lineup following the graduation of last year's starters and first-year head coach Matt Chalupa leading the program for the first time, the Lions showed impressive composure and resilience throughout the contest. Albright faced an early deficit, trailing 9-1 through the opening four minutes before beginning to find its rhythm offensively. Despite falling behind by nine points (25-16) with 8:59 remaining in the first half, the Lions continued to chip away at the deficit and eventually secured their first lead of the night at 35-34. The two teams entered halftime deadlocked at 36-36.
The Dutchmen maintained a slim advantage for much of the early second half before Albright pulled even at 51-51 with 13:26 remaining. The Lions then erupted for a 15-5 run over the next five minutes to build a 10-point advantage. Lebanon Valley responded, however, battling back to make it a tightly contested finish as the teams traded leads and tied scores throughout the final five minutes.
Neither team managed more than a one-possession advantage during the closing stretch until the Dutchmen pushed their lead to five with just 13 seconds remaining. Justus Stanton quickly answered with a layup to cut the deficit to three with seven seconds on the clock. Following a pair of missed free throws by Lebanon Valley, Albright regained possession with an opportunity to force overtime. Joe Bueno-Blyden was fouled and sent to the free-throw line with 1.8 seconds remaining. He converted the first attempt before intentionally missing the second and grabbing his own rebound, but his potential game-tying putback at the buzzer bounced off the side of the rim.
Bueno-Blyden paced the Lions with 15 points and nine rebounds, narrowly missing a double-double. Miles Smith added 13 points and two steals, while Dominica Awahmukalah finished with 10 points and five rebounds. Justin Turner contributed nine points and five boards, while Stanton and Semaj Robinson chipped in eight points apiece.
Reed Melvin led all scorers with 28 points for the Dutchmen. Najeh Allen recorded a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds, while Demarcus Bandy added 12 points.
Despite the narrow defeat, the Lions displayed plenty of promise in their season debut under first-year head coach Matt Chalupa. Chalupa takes over following the departure of longtime head coach Rick Ferry, who led the program for 25 seasons from 2001-26.
UP NEXT:
The Lions will make the short trip to face Penn State Berks in a non-conference matchup on Wednesday, November 11, with tipoff scheduled for 6 p.m.
