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Albright College Athletics

2007-08 Albright College Men's Basketball Results

March 8, 2008: Gwynedd-Mercy 83, Albright 78

Reading, PA - Gwynedd-Mercy rode a 31-9 second half run to an 83-78 win over Albright in the semi-finals of the ECAC South Region Championship in the Bollman Center. The Lions' season comes to a close with a 17-9 record, while the Griffins (21-9) will take on Carnegie Mellon, a 69-54 winner over Misericordia in the first semi-final of the afternoon, Sunday at 2:00 in the championship game.

The opening half was tightly contested, with Albright holding a slight lead most of the way. Leading 30-27 with five minutes left before intermission, Albright used a 9-2 run to open a 10-point lead, 39-29, with 1:55 to go in the period. Gwynedd-Mercy scored the final three points of the half, and Albright took a 39-32 lead to the locker room. Andre Murphy led the Lions with nine points at the break on 3-4 shooting from beyond the three-point line. Lemiere Talley had 10 points for the Griffins.

Albright looked like it was going to run away with the game early in the second half. A Tom Murphy put back and an Andre Murphy jumper in the first 1:05 of the half gave Albright an 11-point lead, 43-32, and brought a quick timeout for the Griffins. Gwynedd-Mercy responded, getting eight straight points from Dave Smith to cut the lead back to three, 43-40, with 16:48 to play. A Tom Murphy triple slowed the Griffin momentum, but Gwynedd kept coming, eventually taking a 49-48 lead on a Dan Delconte lay up with 11:54 left. Another Delconte lay up in transition gave Gwynedd a 51-48 lead, but Andre Murphy answered with his fourth triple of the night to knot the score at 51 with 10:04 remaining on the clock. The Lions would not make another field goal for the next five minutes, during which time Gwynedd-Mercy built its largest lead of the night, 63-52, with five minutes left in the ball game. The Lions were not able to put a dent in the Griffin lead for the next four minutes, as Gwynedd made 10 straight free throws to hold Albright at arms length. Trailing 79-69 with a minute to play, Albright got back-to-back three's from Zac Shaeffer to pull within four, then cut the lead to three at 81-78 when Tom Murphy converted a three-point play with 26 second on the clock. Delconte made one of two free throws at the other end for Gwynedd, but the Lions misfired and Gwynedd pulled down the rebound to end Albright's chance of a miracle comeback.

Tom Murphy led Albright with 19 points and added 10 rebounds in his final game for the Lions. Andre Murphy added 14, while Albright Medoro, also playing in his final game for Albright, pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds. Smith led all scorers with 21 points and added seven rebounds and eight blocked shots. Delconte had 19 for the Griffins, while Matt Johnson had 11 points and 11 rebounds.

March 5, 2008: Albright 79, Dickinson 74

Reading, PA - Senior Albert Medoro tied his career high with 31 points to lead Albright to a 79-74 win over Dickinson in the opening round of the ECAC South Region Championship Wednesday night in the Bollman Center. The Lions, seeded #1 in the tournament, will face the winner of the Alvernia/Gwynedd-Mercy game Saturday afternoon in the Bollman Center at 4:00. The other semi-final will pit second-seeded Carnegie Melon University against #3 seed Misericordia at 2:00.

Medoro was practically unstoppable in the low blocks, as he made 13 of his 17 attempts from the field and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds on the night. With Albright trailing 4-3 in the early going, Medoro scored six straight points to push the Lions into a 9-4 lead. The lead grew to eight, 18-10, on a pair of Taylor Steltz free throws with 10:33 left in the half, but Dickinson responded with an 11-4 run, capped by a Pat Kearns lay up on the break, to pull within a point at 22-21. The Lions led 29-27 with four minutes remaining in the half when Medoro went to work again, scoring Albright's next eight points as the lead swelled to nine, 37-28, 2:18 before the break. Albright's largest lead of the half was 40-28 after Zac Schaeffer drained a triple with a minutes and a half to go, and the Lions held a 40-31 edge at halftime.

Despite playing without leading scorer Tom Lesczyznski, who was not dressed due to an illness, the Red Devils never let Albright run away in the second half. The Lions held a 53-45 lead after a Medoro three-point play with 13:19 remaining, but a 10-1 Dickinson run, sparked by three's from Pat Kearns and Kizmahr Grell, put the Red Devils on top by a point, 55-54 with 10:49 to play. That was the high point for Dickinson, however, as they went scoreless for the next 4:25 as Albright regained the lead and pushed the advantage to five, 60-55, with 6:24 on the clock. Dickinson got within two, 74-72, with 28 seconds to play, but Andre Murphy knocked down five of six free throws in the final half minute to seal the win for the Lions.

Tom Murphy finished the night with 15 points for the Lions, who shot 47% from the field and 77% from the free throw line. Andre Murphy added 11 points, while Jeff Sparrow handed out four assists. Dickinson was led by Kearns, who tossed in 21 points on 8-13 shooting from the floor. Tim Crouch added 14 points for the Red Devils, while Grell tossed in 13 and Cory Kenny chipped in with 12. Dickinson shot 37% from the field and out-rebounded Albright 41-37.

February 27, 2008: Widener 67, Albright 53

Reading, PA - Widener outscored Albright 28-14 over the final 15 minutes of play to pull away from the Lions and take a 67-53 victory in the Commonwealth Conference semifinal match up Wednesday night in the Bollman Center. The Pride will now travel to Williamsport to face Lycoming, a 71-56 winner over Lebanon Valley in the other semi-final, in Saturday's final, while the Lions will wait until Monday to await word on a possible ECAC bid.

Widener's suffocating defense held the Lions to just 20 second-half points, and the 53 points in the game tied Albright's lowest output of the season. Still, Albright found itself in a tie game at 39 when Albert Medoro knocked down a medium-range jumper with 15:31 left. The score was 43-42 Widener after a Taylor Steltz lay up a minute later when the Pride pulled away, scoring eight straight points to build their largest lead to that point, 51-42, with 10:22 remaining. The Lions hung around, getting back to back buckets from Tom Murphy and a three-ball from Phil Hall to pull within four at 53-49 with seven and a half minutes to play. Albright would score just four more points in the game, however, with their only other field goal coming on an Alex Schneider jumper with 30 seconds left. Widener took advantage of the Albright drought to extend its lead to 16 in the final minute before running out the clock with the 14 points win.

The first 20 minutes of play were a see-saw battle that saw seven lead changes and four tie scores. Widener held a 22-17 lead after a pair of Tracy Jones free throws with 12 minutes to play, but an 8-2 Albright spurt, highlighted by a Medoro three and a Steltz three-point play, put the Lions back on top 25-24. Albright's final lead of the night came late in the half, when Andrew Pomager scored on the break to give the Lions a 33-32 edge with 1:33 to go. Jones converted a three-point play at the other end, however, and the Pride took a 35-33 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Medoro finished with a game-high 19 points for the Lions, but was held to just five points in the second half. He was the only Lion to finish in double figures, as Albright shot just 34.4% from the floor in the game, including a 4-17 (23.5%) effort from beyond the three-point arc. Tom Murphy had nine for Albright, while Hall chipped in with eight. Kyle Brudvig pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds for Albright, and Andre Murphy handed out four assists. Bobby Edmunds led Widener with 14 points, followed by Matt Sosna with 12. Sosna and Jarrell Nelson each collected eight boards for the Pride.

February 23, 2008: Albright 82, Messiah 70

Grantham, PA - Albright stopped Messiah 82-70 Saturday afternoon to clinch the second seed in next week's Commonwealth Conference Tournament. The Lions (16-7, 6-4) will face Widener Wednesday night in the Bollman Center at 8:00 in a rematch of last Wednesday's 86-81 Albright win in overtime. For Messiah (15-10, 4-6), the loss, which was its fourth straight, keeps the Falcons out of the conference tournament, thanks to Lebanon Valley's three-point win at Lycoming this afternoon.

Albright jumped out to a big lead, with Tom Murphy draining back-to-back three's to highlight a 12-1 Lion run to open the game. The lead grew to 14, 19-5, on Zac Schaffer's three-ball with 12 minutes left in the half, with all of Messiah's points coming from the free throw line. The Falcons' first field goal came 18 seconds later when Kyle Snyder drilled a three of his own to pull Messiah with 11 at 19-8. That started a 12-2 Messiah run the drew the Falcons as close as four, 21-17, with 8:23 to play in the half. Albright answered with a 9-2 run of its own, with Phil Hall supplying the final seven points to push the Lion lead back to 11, 30-19, five minutes before the break. Albright held that edge the rest of the half, getting another Schaffer three with 28 seconds on the clock to take a 39-27 lead into the locker room. Albright shot 60% from the field in the half (15-25), including a 6-10 effort from three-point range. Messiah, on the other hand, made just seven of 25 attempts in the half (28%). The Falcons stayed in the game thanks to an 11-16 effort from the free throw line. while the Lions were just three of four.

Albert Medoro opened the second half with a bucket in the paint increase Albright's lead to 14, 41-27, and the Lion lead bounced between nine and 14 points for the first six minutes of the half. Messiah cut the lead to seven, 49-42, on an Andy Hawk lay up with 12:29 to play, but Medoro answered with a three-point play at the other end to push the lead right back to 10 for the Lions. The Falcons continued to chip away at Albright's lead, and closed to within two, 61-59, when John Boyd came up with a steal and canned a three with 6:51 remaining. The Lions never let Messiah get even, however, scoring the next six points to run the lead to eight at 67-59. Messiah got as close as four, 67-63, with 3:43 to play, but an unlikely source of points carried the Lions from there. The Lions, who have struggled from the free throw line for much of the season, made just one more field goal the rest of the afternoon, but went 12-13 from the line in the next three minutes to hold Messiah at arms length in the game's waning minutes. Each time the Falcons scored, Albright answered with a pair of free throws, and when Messiah misfired and then quickly fouled, the Lions increased their lead from the line as well. By the time the dust settled, the Lions had their 12 -point win, the second seed and a home game to open the conference tournament, while Messiah saw its season come to an early end.

Hall led four Lions in double figures with 15 points, followed by Kyle Brudvig with 14, Medoro with 13, and Tom Murphy with 12. Medoro led the Lions with eight rebounds and three assists on the afternoon. For the game Albright shot 56.5% to 42.9 for the Falcons. Darryl Brown led Messiah with 17 points, followed by Boyd with 13 and Josh Curtain with 12.

February 19, 2008: Albright 86, Widener 81 (OT)

Reading, PA - Andre Murphy scored 10 of his 20 points in overtime to lift Albright to an 86-81 win over Widener and clinch a return to the Commonwealth Conference tournament for the Lions. Albright (5-4 Commonwealth, 15-7 overall) and Widener (5-4 Commonwealth, 19-5 overall) are now tied for second place with one game remaining in the regular season. The Lions can clinch the #2 seed with a win at Messiah on Saturday. A loss to the Falcons would leave the Lions needing help to earn the #2 seed, but all possible tie-breakers put Albright into the playoffs.

Murphy almost closed out the game at the end of regulation. Kyle Brudvig scored in the paint to tie the score at 73 with 54 seconds left, then blocked Charles Jones at the other end, and Murphy collected the rebound with 31 seconds remaining. Albright held for one shot and Murphy fired up a contested three as the buzzer sounded that rolled around the rim before falling out to send the game to extra time.

Murphy scored the first four points of overtime for the Lions, but Widener matched him point for point, then took a 79-77 lead on a Brendan Washington bucket with 2:15 left. The Pride had a chance to extend the lead, but Washington misfired on three free throws, and it was Murphy again for the Lions, draining a short jumper to knot the score at 79. When Charles Jones missed the front end of a one and one on Widener's next possession, Murphy made the Pride pay, scoring his eighth straight point in the extra session to give Albright the lead for good at 81-79 with just over a minute left. The Lions got a big defensive stop when Taylor Steltz blocked Bobby Edmunds' driving lay-up and the ball went out of bounds off Edmunds, giving Albright a chance to extend the lead. This time Albright looked in the low post, where Albert Medoro sank the last two of his game-high 21 points to push the Albright lead to four, 83-79. The Lions put the game away at the line, as Jeff Sparrow made one of two to make the score 84-79, and after a Jones lay-up, Murphy put a bow on his game with the clinching free throws for Albright.

Leading up to the overtime period the game was tight throughout. The lead changed hands nine times in regulation and the score was tied 15 times. Albright trailed for much of the first 15 minutes of play, then used a quick 5-0 spurt, capped by a Medoro three-point play, to build a 30-25 lead with 5:29 left in the half. The lead grew to as many as six, but Widener fought back to hold a 41-39 lead after 20 minutes of play.

The game continued its back and forth pattern in the second half, with Widener forging a 51-46 advantage four and a half minutes in. Albright responded, rallying to even the slate at 55 with 9:37 to play, and pulling ahead by four, 65-61, with 5:47 remaining in regulation. Widener used a 6-2 run and tied the score at 67 on a Jones triple with 3:35 left. Murphy put Albright back on top with a pair of free throws, but again Jones answered at the other end. Murphy and Jones traded hoops again to tie the score at 71, but Widener turned a Lion turnover into another Jones basket to give the Pride a 73-71 edge with 1:16 to play. Brudvig's hoop tied it at 73, setting up Murphy's big overtime effort.

Medoro added a game-high 15 rebounds to go along with his 21 points. Murphy's 20 came on 6-10 shooting from the floor and a perfect 8-8 effort from the free throw line. Brudvig finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Lions, and Tom Murphy chipped in with 11 points in the contest. Albright, which has struggled at times from the free throw line this season,was 21-28 for the game from the stripe, including 9-12 in the second half and 5-7 in overtime. Jones led all scorers in the game with 22 points, while Edmunds and Matt Sosna each tossed in 16 for the Pride. Widener out-rebounded the Lions 20-16 in the opening half, but Albright controlled the glass in the final 25 minutes, grabbing 29 boards to just 13 for the Pride to close out the game with a 45-33 advantage.

February 16, 2008: Lycoming 75, Albright 73

Reading, PA - Lycoming edged Albright 75-73 in a physical Commonwealth Conference contest Saturday afternoon in the Bollman Center. The Lions (14-7, 4-4) find themselves tied with Messiah for third place in the conference with two games to play, while Lycoming (15-8, 6-2) holds its one-game lead over Widener.

Albright held a 73-71 lead after Albert Medoro drained a pair of free throws with 58 seconds to play. On Lycoming's ensuing possession, Eric Anthony's three-point shot clanked off the rim, bounced straight up, then rattled in, giving the Warriors a one-point lead, 74-73. Albright had trouble coming up with a good look on its next possession, with Andre Murphy forced to take an off-balance jumper as the shot clock wound down. David Wilson came down with the rebound for Lycoming, was immediately fouled, and hit one of two with six seconds left to make the score 75-73 Lycoming. After the missed free throw the Lions called timeout with two seconds left, but Jeff Sparrow's contested three at the buzzer fell short as Albright dropped its second-straight heartbreaker.

The Lions came out firing on all cylinders, opening the game with a 17-1 run over the first five minutes. Medoro had the final seven points of the Lion run on his way to a game-high 24. An Anthony three ended Lycoming's drought from the field, and the Warriors hung around for much of the half, never letting Albright extend the lead past 16. A three-point play from Tom Murphy put Albright's lead back to 15, 38-23, with three minutes left in the half, but the Warriors ended the half with an 8-2 run to close within nine, 40-31 at intermission.

Albright saw its lead shrink to four, 46-42, four minutes into the second half, but the Lions pushed it back to nine two minutes later when Medoro was fouled while hoisting a three and sank all three free throws for a 55-46 Lion advantage. The Albright lead was still eight, 64-56, with 6:27 to play when Lycoming ran off nine unanswered points, capped by a Will Kelly triple, to take its first lead of the day, 65-64, with 3:42 remaining. Albright bounced back, retaking the lead, then increasing it to four, 71-67, on a Sparrow three-ball with 2:20 to play, but that would be the final field goal of the game for the Lions. A bucket from Greg Sye and two Anthony free throws evened the score at 71, setting up the final frantic minute of play.

Medoro's 24 point came on 6-11 shooting from the field, including a 2-3 effort from long range, and 10-12 from the free throw line. Tom Murphy was the only other Lion to reach double figures, finishing with 11 points. In a game that saw 46 fouls called and 58 free throws, Albright shot 24-28 from the line, by far its best effort of the season. Anthony led Lycoming with 19 points, 12 in the second half. Sye totaled 12 and Jemayne Nowlin chipped in with 10 for the Warriors.

February 13, 2008: Elizabethtown 79, Albright 75

Elizabethtown, PA - Elizabethtown scored the first 11 points of the night, then withstood a late Albright rally to deal the Lions a 79-75 loss Wednesday night. The loss knocks the Lions (4-3, 14-6) out of a first-place tie in the Commonwealth Conference, while the Blue Jays (2-5, 15-6) stay alive in the race for a conference tournament spot.

The Blue Jays stormed out of the gate, with Mike Schatzmann scoring eight quick points, including back-to-back triples, in an 11-0 run to open the game. Phil Hall scored Albright's first bucket 2:24 into the game to stem the tide momentarily, but another Schatzmann hoop at the other end pushed the Blue Jay lead right back to 11, 13-2. Albright didn't let the Blue Jays run away, however, and ran off a 10-0 run of the its own to close within a point, 15-14, with 12:49 left in the half. The Lions pulled even at 22 four minutes later on a Zac Shaeffer three, one of three Shaeffer drained in the opening 20 minutes. Elizabethtown extended its lead back to four, but again Albright rallied and took its first lead if the night at 33-30 on another Shaeffer triple with 4:24 to play before the break. Kyle Brudvig followed with a bucket in the paint to give Albright its largest lead of the night at 35-30. Elizabethtown would answer right back, though, pulling even at 36 and eventually taking a 40-39 lead at halftime.

Hall opened the second half scoring with a hoop down low to give Albright a one-point lead, but the Jays then went on a quick 9-3 spurt to hold six, 49-43, two and a half minutes into the second period. Elizabethtown held the advantage from between four and seven points for the next nine minutes, and led 64-58 after a Josh Houseal lay up with eight and a half minutes to play. Jeff Sparrow drilled a three-ball at the other end to spark a 9-2 Albright run that put the Lions back in the lead by a point, 67-66, with 6:10 remaining. Albright couldn't maintain its momentum, however, as Etown scored the next six points to reclaim a lead they would not surrender again. Twice the Lions got as close as two points in the final two minutes, first at 75-73 after a pair of Tom Murphy free throws and finally at 77-75 when Andre Murphy knocked down a jumper with 37 tics left on the clock. After Bryce Rodgers made just one of two free throws at the other end, Albright had a chance to tie, but misfired on a pair of three's as the Blue Jays hung on for the win.

Albert Medoro had a double-double for the Lions, leading the team with 16 points and 14 rebounds. Shaeffer finished with 13 points, all in the first half, and Tom Murphy added 12. The Lions struggled from long range, making just five of 22 three-point attempts, including a 2-13 effort in the second half. Foul shooting was again an issue for Albright as well. The Lions were just 6-15 (40%) from the stripe, compared to 16-22 for Elizabethtown. Schatzmann led all scorers with 28 points in the game, while Mike Church ended with 19 and Chad Piersol totaled 11 points and 11 rebounds for the Blue Jays.

February 9, 2008: Albright 77, Lebanon Valley 62

Reading, PA - Albright snapped a two-game losing streak with a 77-62 Commonwealth Conference victory over Lebanon Valley Saturday night in the Bollman Center. The win keeps the Lions (4-2, 14-5) in a tie for first place in the Commonwealth with Messiah and Lycoming, while the Dutchmen (2-4, 8-13) fall into fifth place, a game out of the playoffs.

Albright scored the first five points of the game, and pulled out to a 16-9 lead just over six minutes into the game. The Lions led 18-13 when the looked to run away from the Dutchmen, using a 10-0 run to increase their lead to 28-13 with 8:50 left in the half. LVC hung around, however, and and put together a 10-0 of its own to draw back within two at 33-31 with 4:29 remaining before the break. Albright would push the lead back to eight, and eventually take a 41-35 lead to the locker room at intermission. Phil Hall had a big half for the Lions, scoring 11 points on 4-4 shooting from the field, including 3-3 from three-point range. The Lions shot 59% from the field in the half, and 55% (6-11) from beyond the arc. Kyle Enoch and Peter Ruth each had eight points to lead LVC.

Lebanon Valley was able to whittle the Lion lead down to four early in the second half, but Albright stepped up the defense and made points hard to come by for the Dutchmen. Leading 45-41 2:20 into the period, Hall scored seven straight points for the Lions to start a 10-1 run that made the score 55-42 with 12 minutes to play. LVC got the deficit back down to seven, 59-52, with with 9:40 on the clock, but would hit just two more field goals the rest of the way. Albright's defense allowed the Lions to put the lead back into double figures and cruise home with the win.

Hall finished with a season high 18 points to lead all scorers, and also grabbed a game-high nine rebounds. Tom Murphy and Albert Medoro each had 14 points for the Lions. Albright out-rebounded the Dutchmen 42-29 in the contest. Enoch had 16 points, including four three's, to lead LVC, while Dan Hodge finished with 11.

Tonight's game was also a Coaches vs. Cancer game. Prior to the game a moment of silence was observed in honor of Derek Kehoe, the Albright sophomore who succombed to a rare form of cancer in October of 2006. At halftime, Dr. Steve George, Albright Director of Athletics, presented the American Cancer Society with a check for $2,147 from the gate for tonight's game.

February 6, 2008: Messiah 71, Albright 68

Reading, PA - Albright dropped its second consecutive Commonwealth Conference contest Wednesday night, falling to Messiah 71-68 in the Bollman Center. The Lions (13-5, 3-2) now find themselves in a four-way tie for first place with the Falcons (14-6, 3-2), Widener, and Lycoming at the midway point in the conference schedule.

Both teams were red hot from the floor to open the game, which was tight from start to finish. The lead changed hands nine times in the first half alone, and neither team held a lead of more than four points. Albright got back-to-back three's from Albert Medoro and Phil Hall to open a 6-2 lead early, but a 10-2 Messiah run put the Falcons on top for the first time at 12-8 four minutes in. That was the largest lead of the opening period for the Falcons, as the teams went back and forth for the entire half. With the score knotted at 23 with 11:25 left before the break, the Lions got a jumper from Taylor Steltz and a put back by Matt Bazsika to hold a 27-23 edge midway through the half. The Lions couldn't pull away either, however, and three ties and three lead changes later Messiah held a 36-35 lead at intermission.

The Lions were cold early in the second half, as Andre Murphy's three was their only hoop in the first four minutes of play. Messiah took advantage of that and built a 45-38 lead four minutes in. Albright would rally, pulling even at 46 on a Zac Schaffer triple with 12 minutes to play in the game. For the next five minutes, Messiah would take a one or two point lead, and Albright would come right back to tie the score. The Lions could not regain the lead, however, and a Jason Miller three-point play with 6:44 left gave the Falcons the lead for good at 57-54. Messiah pushed the lead to seven, 67-60, with just over a minute to play, but Albright had one more run left in it. Steltz canned a three on the Lions' next possession, and Tom Murphy came up with a steal on the inbounds pass and converted a lay up to pull Albright with two, 67-65, with 53 seconds left on the clock. The Lions forced Darryl Brown into an off balance jumper on the next possession, but Andy Hawk caught the airball under the basket and layed it back in for a 69-65 Messiah lead with 20 seconds to play. Hawk made two free throws after an Albright miss to push the lead to six, but Andre Murphy nailed a three with 1.3 seconds left to give the Lions hope. Messiah in bounded the ball and Albright appeared to commit a foul, but the ball went out of bounds on what was ruled a turnover by the officials, who put .2 seconds on the clock. Albright had to try a tip-three point shot, and Hall's attempt fell well short, ending the game.

Hall and Tom Murphy led Albright with 12 points each, with Andre Murphy adding 11. Jeff Sparrow had five assists for the Lions and Matt Bazsika grabbed a team-high six rebounds. Albright came into the game leading the nation in rebounding margin, but the Falcons out-boarded the Lions 42-28 in the game. Miller had a career night for Messiah, scoring 26 points on 8-12 shooting from the floor and 9-10 shooting from the line. Hawk chipped in with 13 for the Falcons.

February 2, 2008: Lycoming 76, Albright 53

Williamsport, PA - Lycoming handed Albright its first conference loss of the 2007-08 season, taking a 76-53 win over the Lions Saturday afternoon. Albright (13-4, 3-1 Commonwealth) maintains holds a one-game lead over the Warriors (10-8, 2-2) in the conference, as well as Widener, Lebanon Valley, and Messiah, who are all also 2-2 in conference play.

Lycoming started fast, scoring the game's first seven points. Phil Hall got the Lions on the scoreboard with a lay up three minutes in to start a 6-0 Albright spurt that quickly pulled the Lions back within one. The Lions took their first lead of the game at 12-11 on a Taylor Steltz jumper with 10:15 to play in the opening half. After the teams traded buckets, Jemayne Nowlin knocked down a three for Lycoming that gave the Warriors the lead for good in the ball game. Greg Sye followed with a hoop down low for the Warriors, then Nowlin canned another triple to close an 8-2 Lycoming run. Andrew Pomager scored on three consecutive possessions to keep the Lions close, with his last bucket making the score 23-20 with seven minutes remaining before the break. Lycoming responded with six unanswered points to open a 29-20 lead that would stretch to 13, 38-25, at the half. The Warriors built much of their lead beyond the three-point line, hitting five of 15 attempts in the half, while Albright went 0-4 from long range.

Lycoming never gave Albright a chance to cut into the lead in the second half. Jeff Sparrow opened the scoring with a lay up to pull the Lions within 11, but they would get no closer. Albright got as close as 11 points four times in the final period, but each time Lycoming was able to stretch the lead back to 14 or 15 points. Albright's last chance within 11 came after a Hall bucket made the score 54-43 with 8:41 to play. Lycoming answered with a 9-3 run to push its advantage to 17 with just over four minutes to play, and the Warriors pulled away from there.

Pomager led Albright with 13 points, followed by Sparrow with a season-high 11. They were the only two Lions to reach double figures, as Albright shot just 35% from the floor and 48% from the foul line in the game. Albert Medoro pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds, but Albright, who entered the game leading the nation in rebounding margin, was out-boarded by the Warriors 43-42. All five starters for Lycoming finished in double-figures, led by David Wilson's 15 points. Eric Anthony finished with 14, Kevin Morris added 13, while Sye and Nowlin each chipped in with 10. The Warriors shot 42% from the field in the ball game.

January 30, 2008: Albright 87, Elizabethtown 82 (OT)

Reading, PA - Albright outscored Elizabethtown 14-9 in overtime to take an 87-82 victory over the Blue Jays Wednesday night in the Bollman Center. The Lions (13-3, 3-0) take sole possession of first place in the Commonwealth Conference with the win, while Etown (14-3, 1-2) falls two games off the pace after dropping its second overtime game on the road in eight days.

In a see saw battle that saw the lead change hands 13 times, Bryce Rodgers sank two free throws for the Blue Jays with 21 seconds left in regulation to knot the score at 73. When Tom Murphy's last second 25-footer hit the front of the rim and fell off, the teams were headed to overtime. Chad Piersol scored on for Etown to open the extra period, but Taylor Steltz answered at the other end with a three-pointer to give Albright a 76-75 lead. After trading buckets, the Lions came up with a key defensive stop, and Albert Medoro scored in the paint to put the Albright on top by three, 80-77, with 2:48 to play. Medoro followed that with a fast-break lay up off a full court pass from Kyle Brudvig to give the Lions a five point cushion, 82-77. Albright iced the game from the foul line, making five of six shots down the stretch to seal the deal.

Albright held a lead for much of the first half, but Etown never let the Lions run away. Albright's largest lead of the half was eight points, 26-18, after a Tom Murphy triple with 7:47 remaining in the period. The Blue Jays stormed back with an 8-1 run to pull within a points, and would trail by three, 36-33, after 20 minutes of play. Etown scored the first three points of the second half to tie the score at 36, but Albright used a 12-4 run to open another eight point lead, 48-40, four minutes in. The Lions held seven, 55-48, with 11:25 remaining, but Etown ran off eight unanswered points to pull even at 55 with 8:17 to play in regulation. The teams went back and forth for the next five minutes, and were tied at 66 with 3:19 left when the Lions looked to end things in regulation. Medoro scored down low to give the Lions a two-point lead, and after an empty possession from the Blue Jays, Brudvig put back a missed three-ball while being fouled, and converted the free throw for a three-point play and a 71-66 Albright lead with 2:08 on the clock. Etown answered right away, as Mike Schatzmann drilled a triple to pull the Jays within two at 71-69. Tom Murphy would hit a jumper to put Albright back on top by four, but Etown scored the final four points in regulation to send the game to overtime.

Brudvig and Medoro had monster games for the Lions. Brudvig finished with 18 points and a game and career-high 17 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. Medoro poured in a team-leading 21 points, 17 of them coming in the second half and overtime, and added 11 rebounds. The Lions continued their dominance of the glass, out rebounding Etown 49-34 in the game. Tom Murphy and Andre Murphy each scored 15 points for Albright, combining for six three's on the night. Steltz also found his way into double figures, scoring a season-high 10 points. Schatzmann led all scorers with 23 points, while Chad Piersol added 15 and Keith Fogel chipped in with 11 for the Blue Jays.

January 26, 2008: Albright 73, Lebanon Valley 54

Annville, PA - Albright picked up its second straight Commonwealth Conference victory away from home Saturday afternoon, downing Lebanon Valley 73-54 in Annville. Tom Murphy and Kyle Brudvig each had 16 points to lead the Lions (12-3, 2-0) on the afternoon.

The Lions led from wire to wire, as Murphy opened the scoring with a three-point shot, one of his three on the day, and Albright never looked back. Lebanon Valley (6-11, 0-2) kept things close in the early going, but Albright managed to pull ahead by eight, 18-10, after a Brudvig jumper midway through the opening half. The Dutchmen clawed their way back into the game, closing to within a point at 21-20 after Dustin Kerns made one of two free throws with 5:08 remaining before halftime. That would be as close as the hosts would get, however, as Albright ran off 10 straight points and closed the half on a 12-2 run to take a 33-22 lead to the locker room at intermission.

Albright opened the second half with a jumper from Andre Murphy and two free throws from Jeff Sparrow to extend the lead to 15, 37-22. The Lions held a 16-point lead, 46-30, after a pair of Albert Medoro free throws with 13 minutes to go, but Lebanon Valley had another run left. The Dutchmen went on a 12-2 run, capped by a Kyle Enoch bucket with nine minutes left, to cut the Lion lead to six, 48-42. A pair of Andrew Pomager free throws stemmed the Dutchmen momentum, and Albright pulled away over the final nine minutes. A Tom Murphy lay-up with eight minutes left pushed the Lion lead back to 10, and LVC never got within single digits for the rest of the afternoon.

Brudvig and Murphy were the only two Lions to score in double figures on the afternoon. Medoro and Andre Murphy each added nine points in a balanced scoring effort for Albright. Brudvig added a team-leading eight rebounds to his 16 points, while Taylor Steltz led the Lions with five assists. Dan Hodge came off the bench to lead Lebanon Valley with 15 points on the afternoon. Albright controlled the glass in the game, grabbing 47 boards to just 28 for LVC.

January 22, 2008: Albright 66, Widener 46

Chester, PA - Albright held Widener to a season-low 46 points, got a career-best rebounding effort from senior forward Albert Medoro (Exton, PA/West Chester Henderson), and pulled away in the second-half for a 66-46 win Tuesday night. The Lions (11-3, 1-0) were 7-11 from three-point range in the second half as they blew out the Pride (14-2, 0-1) in the Commonwealth Conference opener for both teams.

Neither team shot the ball well in the opening 20 minutes, and points were hard to come by. Albright never trailed in the half, and led by as many as seven points on three occasions. The Lions led 14-7 after a Taylor Steltz (Womelsdorf, PA/Conrad Weiser) jumper with 12:31 to play in the half, but scored just seven more points in the period as the Pride rallied to tie the game at 21 at the break. The Lions were just 9-39 (23.1%) from the floor in the half, but Widener was not much better, making just 7-27 (25.9%) attempts from the field.

The first five minutes of the second half were a mirror image of the first. After Medoro opened the scoring with a bucket in the paint, Nyere Miller drilled a three to give the host Pride their first lead of the night at 24-23. A Bobby Edmunds jumper with 14:43 to play gave Widener a 28-25 lead, but from that point on it was all Albright. Andre Murphy (Philadelphia, PA/Engineering and Science) tied the score with a three at the 14 minute mark, the first of three straight triples for the Lions in a 12-1 run. Zac Shaeffer (Lampeter, PA/Lampeter-Strasburg) and Tom Murphy (Royersford, PA/Spring-Ford) followed with three's as the Lions began to take over. Leading 43-33 with 9:26 to play, Albright put the game away as Tom Murphy scored seven points in a 10-2 run that pushed the advantage to 18, 53-35. The Pride never got closer than 16 points the rest of the evening as Albright cruised to its 11th win of the season.

Tom Murphy led Albright in scoring with 14 points, but the individual story of the night was the effort on the glass from Medoro. The senior pulled down 22 rebounds, marking a career high and the second-highest single-game total in school history. His total trails only the 23-rebound effort by Jeff Batturs in 1986 against Delaware Valley. Medoro added 12 points for his ninth double-double of the season. Albright warmed up significantly from the field in the second half, shooting 45.5% (15-33) from the floor. Most impressively, the Lions were 7-11 from behind the three-point line in the second period. The Lions also helped their cause with an 8-9 effort from the free throw line in the second half. Widener made just 8-36 attempts (22.2%) from the floor in the second half, and shot 23.8% from the field in the game. Charles Jones led the Pride with 12 points, followed by Miller with 10. For the game, Albright out-rebounded Widener 60-42.

January 15, 2008: Scranton 72, Albright 70

Reading, PA - Zach Ashworth's runner with .9 seconds remaining in overtime gave Scranton a 72-70 win over Albright Tuesday night in the Bollman Center. Ashworth raced the length of the court and banked home the winning shot after Andre Murphy tied the game at 70 with four seconds left in the extra period. The Lions did themselves in from the free throw line, making just nine of 24 attempts in the game. Scranton hit 20 of 32 foul shots, including six of nine in overtime.

After taking a 27-23 lead to the locker room at halftime, Albright appeared ready to put the game out of reach midway through the second half. Kyle Brudvig sank a tough bucket in the paint to give the Lions their largest lead of the night, 40-29, with 12:12 left in regulation. Albright would go the next 4:30 without a point, however, as Scranton ran off 14 unanswered points to take a 43-40 lead with eight minutes remaining. Andre Murphy drilled a jumper to end Albright's scoring drought and pull the Lions within a point at 43-42. The lead would change hands five times over the next three and a half minutes, with the Lions taking a 52-51 lead on a Brudvig lay-up with 4:17 left. The Lions held a two-point advantage, 56-54, with 1:49 remaining after Albert Medoro's basket down low, and looked to make it a two-possession game after an empty Scranton possession. Medoro was called for charging, however, giving the ball back to the Royals and more importantly giving Medoro his fifth foul. The senior ended his night with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Tom Bicknell was fouled at the other end by Brudvig, his fifth, and made one of two to pull Scranton within one at 57-56. On its next possession, Albright looked inside, but Tom Murphy's jumper was blocked by Paul Hawk, and led to a Ryan Kirk break away lay-up that put the Royals up 57-56 with 17 seconds left. Down one, Albright looked to Andre Murphy, who was fouled in the act of shooting with just three seconds remaining in regulation. After a Scranton timeout, Murphy hit his first free throw, but found back iron on the second, and the game went into overtime.

After five lead changes in the first three and a half minutes of overtime, Albright managed to build a three-point cushion, 65-62, after a pair of Matt Bazsika free throws with 1:24 left. Ashworth answered for Scranton, however, scoring on a drive and drawing a foul, then converting the free throw to tie the game at 65. Albright misfired at the other end, and Ashworth gave the Royals a 67-65 lead after draining two more free throws. Another pair of Ashworth foul shots after a Lion turnover made the score 69-65 Scranton with 23 seconds left. Andre Murphy drilled a tough three for the Lions to pull Albright within a point, 69-68, with 13 seconds to go. The Lions fouled Ashworth again, and this time he hit just one of two, leaving the door open for Albright. Andre Murphy went down the lane for the tying bucket, only to see Ashworth cap a phenomenal overtime with the game-winner at the other end.

Medoro's 17 points led Albright, followed by Brudvig with 13 and Andre Murphy with 11. Ashworth led all scorers with 20, getting 10 of them in the extra session. Bicknell finished with 15 points and 18 rebounds, while Kirk also had 15 for the Royals.

January 12, 2008: Albright 71, Penn State Berks 46

Reading, PA - Albright and Penn State Berks met on the basketballl court for the first time Saturday afternoon, with Albright rolling to a 71-46 vicotry over the cross-town foes. Junior Matt Bazsika recorded his first career double-double to lead the Lions (10-2) to their fifth straight win, while Penn State falls to 1-12 with the loss.

Bazsika finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds as the Lions dominated the glass all afternoon. Eight of his 10 first-half points came off put-backs, helping Albright take a 42-20 after 20 minutes of play. Albright shot 48 % from the floor in the first half and turned the ball over just three times while holding the Nittany Lions to 28% from the floor, including an 0-12 effort from three-point range.

Penn State Berks never got closer than 20 points in the second half, as Albright led by as many as 31 points before the final margin of 25. Bazsika's 14 points led all scorers in the game, while Albert Medoro added 13 for the Lions. All in all 14 players found their way into the scoring column for Albright. Adam Fusco led Penn State Berks with 10 points.

January 9, 2008: Albright 71, The College of New Jersey 67

Ewing, NJ - Albright out-scored The College of New Jersey 13-9 in overtime to take a 71-67 win over the Lions in a non-conference match up Wednesday night in Packer Hall. Albright rallied from 10 points down in the second half to force the extra session, then rode three-point baskets from seniors Albert Medoro and Tom Murphy to take the overtime win.

Albright's largest lead of the evening came in the opening minutes of the contest. Trailing 5-4 early on, the Lions (9-2) used a Medoro three, a lay up from Phil Hall, and a Murphy three to build a 12-5 lead just over five minutes in. TCNJ (4-7) responded by scoring the next six points to pull within one, setting the stage for a back and forth first 20 minutes. The lead would change five times over the final 15 minutes of the half, with neither team holding more than a four-point advantage. TCNJ took an 18-14 lead at the midway point of the half on a Jeff Molinelli three ball, only to go scoreless for the next four minutes as Albright moved back in front by a point at 19-18. Albright held a 24-20 lead after a pair of Zac Shaeffer free throws with five minutes left in the half, only to see TCNJ close the half on a 7-1 run to lead 27-25 at the break.

Jeff Sparrow tied the score at 27 on Albright's opening possession of the second half, but TCNJ responded with an 8-0 surge to take a 35-27 lead. The TCNJ lead grew to 10 on an Eric Hayes bucket with 10:16 to play. Still trailing by 10, 47-37, with 7:30 left, Andrew Pomager's second-chance hoop with jump started Albright's comeback. Shaeffer followed a Hayes miss with a three-ball, and the Lions were off and running on a 15-4 run that Shaeffer capped with another three to give Albright a 52-51 lead with 4:34 on the clock. After the teams traded baskets Molinelli hit another three to give TCNJ a 56-54 lead at the 3:12 mark. After Medoro hit one of two free throws, Pomager drained a triple of his own to give Albright a 58-56 lead with 1:45 to play. That would be the score until the waning seconds, when Mark Aziz slipped behind the Albright defense and scored with three seconds on the clock to send the game to overtime.

Albright built a 65-60 lead in overtime thanks to Medoro's triple and an Andre Murphy lay up off a Pomager steal. TCNJ managed to cut the lead to one, 68-67, with 26 seconds remaining, but Andre Murphy calmly sank a pair of free throws to restore Albright's lead to three, 71-68, with 19 ticks on the clock. After a TCNJ miss at the other end, Taylor Steltz hit a free throw to put the game away for the Lions.

Shaeffer led Albright with 14 points, a career high. He was 4-7 from three-point range on the evening. Pomager and Medoro each added 11 points for Albright on a night when the Lion bench out-scored the starting five 39-32. The Lions had 20 assists on 27 field goals, led by Tom Murphy's four, and turned the ball over just 10 times. TCNJ was led by Aziz, who finished with a game-high 20 points. Molinelli added 13 for the Lions.

January 5, 2008: Albright 83, Rutgers-Newark 71

Reading, PA - Albright used lights out shooting from three-point range and another dominant effort on the glass to defeat Rutgers-Newark 83-71 in the championship game of the Sheraton New Year's Tournament Saturday afternoon. Senior Albert Medoro was named the Most Valuable Player in the tournament after a 19-point, 14 rebound effort in the title game, his second double-double in as many nights.

Albright trailed 5-4 in the opening minutes when Andre Murphy hit a three-ball to start a 7-0 Lion run for a six-point lead. The three-point shot was the first of nine triples on the night for the Lions. The Scarlet Raiders would rally to tie the score at 11, but were never able to regain a lead in the ball game. The score was tied at 21 with eight and half minutes left in the half, but Albright outscored the Raiders 16-6 over the next five minutes to take a 10-point lead, 37-27, with three minutes to play before the half. Phil Hall started the run for the Lions with a three, and Kyle Brudvig ended it with a three-point play off an assist from Medoro. Rutgers-Newark would not go away, however, chipping away at the Lion lead over the final minutes and trailing by just three, 40-37, after Angel Collado followed his own miss with a put back at the buzzer. Hall had 10 points to lead Albright at the break, while Chadd Barnes led all scorers with 11. Albright held its lead in part due to 5-5 shooting from beyond the three-point line in the half.

The Lions were stuck in neutral to start the second half, scoring just two points in the first four minutes of play. Albright held a 42-40 lead when Medoro took the game over. After grabbing a defensive rebound, Medoro drained a triple for Albright's first field goal of the second half. He would score 12 of Albright's next 15 points as the Lions extended their lead to 57-46 midway through the second half. The Albright lead never grew to more than 13, but the Raiders never got closer than seven the rest of the way as the Lions captured their second tournament title of the season.

For the night, Albright shot 81.8% from three-point land, hitting 9-11 attempts from beyond the arc. Albright also dominated the glass, pulling down 48 rebounds to just 21 for the Scarlet Raptors. Medoro had a monster second half, scoring 15 of his 19 points and grabbing 10 of his 14 boards. Andre Murphy, Tom Murphy, and Hall each finished with 12 points for the Lions, as the starting five combined for 63 of Albright's 83 points in the game. Barnes was the high man for Rutgers-Newark, finishing with 19 points on 8-18 shooting from the field, including three three-point shots. David Cherry had 16 for the Raiders, while Collado chipped in with 12.

Barnes and Cherry were named to the All-Tournament Team from Rutgers-Newark, and Tom and Andre Murphy made the team from Albright. They were joined by Bill Banks of Rutgers-Camden, who beat Albany Pharmacy 83-62 in the consolation game.

January 4, 2008: Albright 75, Rutgers-Camden 52

Reading, PA - Albright ran out to a 37-14 halftime lead and was never threatened from there in taking a 75-52 win over Rutgers-Camden Friday night in the opening round of the Sheraton New Year's Tournament in the Bollman Center. The Lions will face Rutgers-Newark, a 70-34 winner over Albany Pharmacy earlier in the evening, Saturday afternoon in the championship game. Rutgers-Camden and Albany Pharmacy will square off at 2:00 in the consolation game.

The Lions (7-2), playing for the first time since December 15, took a little while to shake off the rust of the holiday lay off. After Antoine Miller hit a pair of free throws for the Raptors to make the score 12-8 Albright with 12:25 to play in the half, the Lions went on a quick 7-1 run to extend the lead to 10, 19-9, with 8:08 on the clock. Following a time-out, Rutgers-Camden (2-9) got a lay up from Alex Rislin to pull within eight, but the Raptors would not score again for the next six minutes. The Lions scored 16 unanswered points, including six straight from senior Albert Medoro, to take a commanding 35-11 lead with 1:37 left before the break. Rislin hit a free throw to get the Raptors back on the board, but Albright took a 37-14 lead to the locker room after 20 minutes. The Lions held Rutgers-Camden to a 5-25 shooting effort from the floor in the half, and the Raptors were 0-5 from three-point land. Albright was 14-30 from the field, 4-14 from beyond the arc. Rutgers-Camden had no answer for Medoro inside, as he came up one rebound shy of a double-double at the break, finishing the half with 12 points and nine boards in just 11 minutes.

Rutgers-Camden got no closer than 18 points in the second half, as Albright got balanced scoring up and down the lineup. Back to back three-point plays from freshman Andrew Pomager helped grow the Lion lead to 27 midway through the period, and an Alex Schneider lay up with 5:35 on the clock gave Albright its largest lead of the night, 66-34.

Medoro and Tom Murphy each finished with 12 points to lead Albright, with Medoro adding two rebounds in the second half for a game-high 11 and his seventh double-double in nine games. Albright came into the game ranked second in the nation in rebounding margin, and tonight was no different, as the Lions collected 41 boards to 27 for the Scarlet Raptors. Pomager finished the night with 10 points for the Lions, while Kyle Brudvig added nine and Andre Murphy chipped in with eight. Bill Banks led Rutgers-Camden with 12 points.

In the opening game of the evening, Chadd Barnes became the eighth player in Rutgers-Newark men's basketball history to surpass the 1,000 point milestone as the Scarlet Raiders (7-4) rolled over Albany Pharmacy (5-8) 70-34. Barnes finished the night with a game high 18 points on 8-12 shooting from the field as Rutgers-Newark ran out to a 37-17 halftime lead and never looked back.

December 15, 2007: Albright 71, Alvernia 60

Reading, PA - Senior forward Albert Medoro (Exton, PA/West Chester Henderson) pulled down a career-best 19 rebounds to go along with a team-leading 16 points as Albright handed Alvernia a 71-60 loss in the final game of a Coaches vs. Cancer triple-header Saturday night in the Sovereign Center. The Lions head into the holiday break with a record of 6-2 after picking up their second win over the Crusaders (3-4) in three years

The first half was back and forth over the opening 10 minutes. Neither team held more than a three-point advantage during that span, and the lead changed hands five times. Alvernia held a 13-10 lead after back to back jumpers from Zach Westmoreland and Tyrone Bradley with 11 minutes left in the half. After a Kyle Brudvig (Hollidaysburg, PA/Hollidaysburg) lay up pulled the Lions within a point at 13-12, Albright rode six straight points from junior forward Matt Bazsika to take the lead for good. Bazsika scored in the paint on two straight possessions to give Albright a 16-13 lead. After Westmoreland scored for the Crusaders, Bazsika hit a pair of free throws to start a 7-0 Lion run that put Albright on top 23-15 with five minutes left in the half. Alvernia pulled within 23-19 before Albright scored the final 10 points of the half to hold a 14-point edge, 33-19, at intermission. The Lions held Alvernia's leading scorers, Terrence Shawell and Matt King, to three and two points respectively in the half as the Crusaders shot just 25% (7-28) from the floor. Brudvig had eight points at the break to lead Albright, while Medoro added seven points and 11 rebounds.

King hit a baseline jumper to open the second half, but Albright responded with back-to-back threes from Phil Hall (Northampton, PA/Northampton) and Andre Murphy (Philadelphia, PA/Engineering & Science) to extend the lead to 18, 39-21. After a lay up from Shawell, Hall scored in the paint and Medoro knocked down a triple of his own to give the Lions a 21-point lead, 44-23, three minutes into the second half. The lead grew as large as 22 points before Alvernia came back and cut that lead in half after a King three made the score 54-43 at the nine-minute mark. The Lions answered with seven-straight points to push the advantage back to 18, but the Crusaders were not done. King and Shawell combined to score the game's next 10 points as Alvernia cut the Lion lead to single digits for the first time in the half, trailing 63-55 with 2:30 to play. Once again Albright had an answer, however, as Medoro drilled both ends of a one-and-one, and Brudvig followed with two-straight second-chance buckets down low to put the game out of reach.

Medoro was just 4-13 from the floor in the game, but was 7-7 from the free throw line. Brudvig finished with 14 points and six boards, while Andre Murphy chipped in with 10 points for the Lions. Albright dominated the glass, collecting 51 rebounds to just 30 for the Crusaders. Jeff Sparrow (Birdsboro, PA/Daniel Boone), making his first start of the season at the point for the Lions, handed out six assists on the night. For Alvernia, King scored 19 points in the second half to finish with a game-high 21 before fouling out in the waning moments. Shawell finished with 12 points, over seven below his season average. King also led the Crusaders with five rebounds.

December 8, 2007: DeSales 64, Albright 57

Center Valley, PA - DeSales out-scored Albright 9-2 in the final three minutes of play to take a 64-57 victory over the Lions in a non-conference tilt Saturday afternoon. Bulldog point guard Eddie Ohlson was 6-6 from the free throw line in the final 40 seconds to seal the win for DeSales (6-1).

DeSales held a 31-24 lead at the half, and pushed the advantage to 38-28 on a Darnell Braswell three with 17:21 to play in the game. Albright didn't let the Bulldogs' lead grow any larger, and pulled within three, 46-43, on a Phil Hall bucket with 12 minutes left. DeSales responded with five quick points to go back on top by eight, but the Lions refused to go away. Trailing 55-47 with 7:09 in the clock, Albright ran off eight straight points, tying the game at 55 on a Matt Bazsika basket with 3:06 to play. Albright got a stop at the other end, and held the ball with a chance to take its first lead of the second half. The Lions turned the ball over, however, and Ed Lapinski drained a three at the other end to give the Bulldogs the lead for good at 58-55 with 2:02 to play. Albright had a pair of empty possessions before they were forced to foul, and Ohlson hit six straight from the line to put the game away.

The Bulldogs built their halftime lead over the final eight and a half minutes of the opening period. The lead changed hands seven times in the opening 11:19 of the game as the teams went back and forth looking for an advantage. Albright never led by more than two points, and held its final lead after Taylor Steltz hit a lay up with nine minutes to play to give the Lions a 14-13 edge. DeSales scored the next seven points, and didn't relinquish the lead again until Albright tied the game at 55 in the waning minutes of the game.

Hall led Albright with 15 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Kyle Brudvig was the only other Lion to reach double figures, scoring 13 points in the game. Andre Murphy and Jeff Sparrow each had five assists for the Lions. Matt Zwetolitz led DeSales with 15 points, hitting 4-5 shots from the floor, including 3-4 from beyond the three-point line, and was 4-4 from the foul line. Ohlson had 14 points, including an 8-8 effort from the line, and handed out five assists.

December 1, 2007: Albright 92, Manhattanville 74

Salisbury, MD - Freshman Andrew Pomager (Philadelphia, PA/North Catholic) scored 20 of his career-high 25 points in the second half to lead Albright to a 92-74 win over Manhattanville in the championship game of the Optimist Tournament Saturday night. Andre Murphy (Philadelphia, PA/Engineering and Science) had 15 points for the Lions (5-1), and was named the Tournament's Most Valuable Player.

For the second straight night Albright blew open a close game with red-hot shooting in the second half. The Lions held a 37-35 advantage at the break, but shot 70.4% (19-27) from the floor in the final 20 minutes to pull away for the win. Manhattanville scored the first four points of the second half to take a 39-37 lead, but the Lions responded with a 12-0 run to take their largest lead of the game to that point, 49-39, with 13:44 to play in the game. Albright methodically pulled away from there, increasing the lead to 60-45 on a Kyle Brudvig (Hollidaysburg, PA/Hollidaysburg) lay-up with 10:18 left. The Valiants managed to draw with 11 at 62-51, but a quick 7-0 run for Albright, capped by a Pomager bucket in the paint, gave the Lions a 69-51 lead with eight minutes to play and effectively put the game away, as Manhattanville never challenged the rest of the way.

The opening half was a much tighter period, as the lead changed hands six times. Albright scored the first six points of the game, but Manhattanville answered with the next nine for an early 9-6 edge. The Valiants never led by more than three, and Albright would eventually retake the lead by as many as six on a Matt Bazsika (New Zealand/South Plainfield) lay up with eight minutes left in the half. The Lions would led by as many as seven before Manhattanville cut the lead to 37-35 after 20 minutes.

Pomager scored his 25 points on 10-13 shooting, including 3-5 from three point land. Brudvig finished with 17 points, and was named to the All-Tournament Team. Albert Medoro (Exton, PA/West Chester Henderson) added 12 points for the Lions and a game-high 10 rebounds for his fifth straight double-double. The Lions controlled the glass again, pulling down 45 rebounds to 27 for Manhattanville. Cody Moffett led the Valiants with 26 points, followed by Donte Chisolm with 11.

November 30, 2007: Albright 78, Salisbury 57

Salisbury, MD - Albright got a career-high 21 points from sophomore Andre Murphy (Philadelphia, PA/Engineering and Science) and a fourth straight double-double from Albert Medoro (Exton, PA/West Chester Henderson) in a 78-57 win over host Salisbury in the opening round of the Optimist Tournament Friday night. The Lions (4-1) will face Manhattanville, an 88-85 winner over Ramapo in the other first round game, Saturday night at 8:00 for the tournament championship. Salisbury (2-5) will take on Ramapo in the consolation game at 3:00.

Murphy put on a shooting clinic in leading Albright to the championship game. He finished the night 8-10 from the floor, including a 4-5 effort from beyond the three-point arc. He led four Lions in double figures, as Albright pulled away in the second half for the win. The Lions never trailed in the game, as Medoro opened the scoring with a lay-up, and Albright never looked back. Murphy scored all eight points in an early 8-2 run that gave the Lions a 15-6 lead just over eight minutes in. The Lion lead grew to as many as 13 on an Andrew Pomager (Philadelphia, PA/North Catholic) bucket with 4:35 to play in the half, but Salisbury finished strong and whittled the lead to just six, 32-26, at the break.

Albright steadily pulled away from the Sea Gulls in the second half thanks in large part to red-hot shooting from the floor. The Lions were 20-29 (69%) from the field in the final 20 minutes. Back-to-back baskets from Tom Murphy (Royersford, PA/Spring-Ford) gave Albright an 11-point lead, 41-30, with 15 minutes to play, and the Gulls would not get the deficit back under double-digits the rest of the way. Despite making just three of eight free throws in the second half, Albright's torrid shooting from the field allowed the Lions to pull away for a relatively comfortable victory.

Tom Murphy and Kyle Brudvig (Hollidaysburg, PA/Hollidaysburg) each had 12 points for Albright, while Medoro added 10 points and a game-high 11 rebounds in posting his fourth consecutive double-double. The Lions out-rebounded Salisbury 39-28 on the night. Freshman Zac Shaeffer (Lampeter, PA/Lampeter-Strasburg) had five assists in the game, while Tom and Andre Murphy each had three steals. Gary Ward led Salisbury with 17 points in the contest, followed by Brandon Abney with 11 and Jonas Vaitkus with 10.

November 25, 2007: Albright 72, Penn State Altoona 64

Altoona, PA - Senior forward Albert Medoro (Exton, PA/West Chester Henderson)recorded his third straight double-double, posting game highs with 14 points and 15 rebounds, to lead Albright to a 72-64 win over Penn State Altoona Sunday afternoon. The Lions overcame a season-high 31 turnovers and a seven-point deficit in the first half to run their record to 3-1 on the season, while Altoona falls to 1-3 with the loss.

Altoona got the jump on the Lions in the first half, using back-to-back threes from Mike Dancer and another triple by Curtis Geiger to take a 17-10 lead with 10:24 to play. Albright did not let the host Lions get any further away, and eventually whittled the lead down to one, 27-26, on a Medoro three with just under four minutes left in the half. Altoona held onto the lead, however, outscoring Albright 7-4 the rest of the way to hold a 34-30 lead at the break.

Albright started quickly in the second half to take its first lead of the second half. Phil Hall (Northampton, PA/Northampton) had six points in a 8-2 run over the first 3:15 of the period to give the Lions a 38-36 lead. The next three minutes saw the lead change hands four times, with Medoro giving Albright a 43-42 lead on a bucket in the paint with 13:34 to go. Andre Murphy (Philadelphia, PA/Eng. & Science) followed with a three, and Kyle Brudvig (Hollidaysburg, PA/Hollidaysburg) added a lay up to push the Lion lead to 48-42. Altoona came right back with five straight points to cut the lead to one at 48-47, but Albright responded, as Jeff Sparrow (Douglasville, PA/Daniel Boone) scored five points in a 9-0 run that gave Albright their first double-digit lead of the night, 57-47, with seven and a half minutes left. Altoona never got closer than seven points the rest of the afternoon. Albright shot a blistering 58% from the floor in the second half (14-24), including four of six from three point range. The Lions also held Altoona to 8-25 shooting (32%) from the field in the final 20 minutes.

Tom Murphy (Royersford, PA/Spring Ford) was the only Lion to reach double figures in scoring other than Medoro, as he finished with 12 points on 5-6 shooting from the floor, 2-2 from three-point land. Hall added nine points for Albright, while Andre Murphy and Brudvig, playing in front of a hometown crowd, each chipped in with eight. Medoro nearly out-rebounded Altoona by himself, as he pulled down 15 of Albright's 36 boards while Altoona finished with only 22 rebounds. Dancer and Dziabo Quintin were the leading scorers for PSU-Altoona with 12 points each.

November 20, 2007: Albright 80, King's 70

Reading, PA - Senior Tom Murphy (Royersford, PA/Spring Ford) scored a game-high 16 points to lead four Lions in double figures as Albright handed King's its first loss of the season with an 80-70 victory Tuesday night in the Bollman Center. The Lions are now 2-1 on the season.

Murphy opened the scoring with a three-pointer 1:17 into the game, and the Lions would not relinquish the lead the rest of the way. Albright ran out to a 19-4 lead after Jeff Sparrow's (Douglasville, PA/Daniel Boone) lay-up with 11:33 left in the half, and held a double-digit lead for much of the remainder of the period. King's pulled within eight, 35-27, on a Vince Scalzo bucket with 2:41 to go until the break, but Albright got back-to-back three's from Andre Murphy (Philadelphia, PA/Eng. & Science) to extend the lead to 14, and took a 43-29 lead to the locker room at the half. Tom Murphy and Albert Medoro (Exton, PA/West Chester Henderson) each had nine points to lead Albright through 20 minutes of play, while Kofi Dwebeng had also had nine to lead the Monarchs.

Tom Murphy opened the second half the same way he started the game, knocking down a three to push Albright's lead to 17, 46-29. A quick 9-2 run, highlighted by threes from Ryan Nenstiel and Jamie Cousart, got the Monarchs back within 10, but Albright withstood the run and took the lead back to 16, 54-38, with 14:39 to play in the game. Albright never let King's make a run from there, as the Monarch's could not cut the deficit to less than eight the rest of the night. King's pulled within eight for the last time on a Jim Welsh triple with 3:42 to play, but a Matt Bazsika (New Zealand/South Plainfield) put back and a lay-up from Medoro put Albright back on top by 12 with 2:12 to play and put the game away for the Lions.

Tom Murphy's 16 points came on 6-9 shooting from the floor, including 2-4 from three-point land. As a team Albright was 7-21 from long range. Medoro put together his second straight double-double, finishing with 13 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Albright out-rebounded King's 37-25 on the night. Andre Murphy finished his night with 11 points, and Kyle Brudvig (Hollidaysburg, PA/Hollidaysburg) chipped in with 10 and eight boards. Andre Murphy also led Albright with five assists on a night that saw the Lions finish with 20 assist and only nine turnovers. For King's Scalzo ended the night with 16 points, followed by Cousart with 14 points. Cousart also led the Monarchs with five rebounds and five assists. John Soboleski had eight points and four blocked shots on the night.

November 17, 2007: John Carroll 69, Albright 67

Reading, PA - Tournament MVP Terry Walsh drained an off-balance jumper as time expired to lift John Carroll past Albright 69-67 in the championship game of the Wyndham Tip-Off Tournament Saturday night in the Bollman Center.

Walsh's bucket came after Albright (1-1) clawed its way back to tie the score after trailing for much of the game. The Lions led 13-11 five minutes into the contest before John Carroll (2-0) used a 12-0 run to take its largest lead of the night, 23-13, nine minutes in. Albright slowly chipped away at the Blue Streak advantage, and tied the game at 32 on a Matt Bazsika (New Zealand/South Plainfield) lay-up with 2:16 left in the half. Each team would put four more points on the board before the break, and the half ended with the game knotted at 36.

The Lions took a 40-38 lead early in the second period, but once again the Blue Streaks started to pull away, stretching their lead to eight, 58-50, on a Walsh three with 13:21 remaining in the game. John Carroll held a 63-57 lead with six minutes left, but Andre Murphy (Philadelphia, PA/Eng. & Science) cut the lead in half with his second triple of the game. Carroll pushed the lead back to 66-61 with just under five minutes remaining, and the score would remain the same for the next two and a half minutes as both teams missed opportunities. Murphy would break the scoring drought, nailing jumpers on back to back possessions for the Lions, the last coming with 1:26 on the clock to pull Albright within one at 66-65. Each team had an empty possession before Walsh drew a foul with 20 seconds left, and made one of two free throws to give John Carroll a 67-65 lead. Albright tied the score with five seconds left on an Albert Medoro (Exton, PA/West Chester Henderson) lay-up, only to see their hopes of overtime dashed by Walsh's last-second heroics.

Andre Murphy led Albright with 11 points, followed by Medoro and Tom Murphy (Royersford, PA/Spring Ford) with 10 points each. Medoro also pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds to record his first double-double of the season. The Lions hurt themselves at the foul line, where they made just 12 of 27 free throws in the game. Walsh led all scorers with 21 points for the Blue Streaks, followed by Derek Smith with 14. Medoro and Andre Murphy were named to the All-Tournament team, as were Smith and Rudy Kirbus from John Carroll and David Carlson from Randolph-Macon.

November 16, 2007: Albright 95, Pitt-Greensburg 55

Reading, PA - Albright rolled past Pitt-Greensburg 95-55 in the opening round of the Wyndham Reading Tip-Off Tournament Friday night in the Bollman Center. The Lions will face John Carroll, a 66-64 winner over Randolph-Macon in the first game of the evening, Saturday night at 8:00 in the tournament championship game. Pitt-Greensburg and Randolph-Macon will meet at 6:00 in the consolation game.

Albright and UPG played fairly even for the first eight minutes of the night. The Lions led by just one, 11-10, after Torrey Sochacki nailed a three for the Bobcats, with 12:01 left in the half. Albright would soon put the game out of reach, however, going on a 28-4 run over the remainder of the half to hold a 39-14 lead at the break. Albright used the three-point shot to build the lead, hitting six in the half, including 3-4 from sophomore CJ Jewell (Elizabethtown, PA/Elizabethtown). Jewell led the Lions with nine points off the bench at halftime, while sophomore Andre Murphy (Philadelphia, PA/Eng. & Science) added seven points and senior Tom Murphy (Royersford, PA/Spring Ford) pulled down nine boards in the opening 20 minutes. Defensively Albright held UPG to just 5-23 shooting from the floor in the half.

The Lions picked up right where they left off in the second half, opening with a 10-2 run to push the lead to 49-16 three minutes in. Andre Murphy had five of the 10 points for the Lions. The Bobcats never got within 30 points the rest of the way as Albright cruised to its first win of the season. The largest lead of the night came after a Justin Plummer (Upper Darby, PA/Friends Central)bucket with 4:51 left in the contest that gave the Lions an 89-45 lead.

Andre Murphy led Albright with 14 points, followed by Jewell and junior Matt Bazsika (New Zealand/South Plainfield) with 12 each, senior Kyle Brudvig (Hollidaysburg, PA/Hollidaysburg) with 11, and senior Alex Schneider (Wernersville, PA/Conrad Weiser) with 10. Tom Murphy had a game-high 10 rebounds, while freshman Zac Shaeffer (Lampeter, PA/Lampeter/Strasburg) handed out a team-leading six assists. Sochacki led UPG with 14 points, followed by Josh Kucenic and Dino Tessari with nine points each.

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