2007-08 Albright College Women's Basketball Results

March 7, 2008: NCAA Tournament First Round: Mount St. Mary 75, Albright 62

Newburgh, NY - Albright's first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament came to an end Friday night with a 75-62 loss to Mount St. Mary. The loss brings an end to the most successful women's basketball season in school history; the Lady Lions won a school-record 20 games in addition to their first NCAA tournament appearance. Senior Jackie Hardwick led all scorers in the game with 23 points, in the process surpassing the 1,000 point plateau for her career. Hardwick becomes the 10th women's basketball player in school history to score 1,000 points in a career.

Albright took its first lead of the game when Hardwick scored in the paint to make the score 10-8 just over four minutes into the contest. Mount St. Mary responded with a 12-2 run, taking a 20-12 lead with 10:25 remaining in the half. Hardwick stopped the bleeding with a jumper to pull the Lady Lions within six, 20-14. That bucket gave her eight points in the game and 1,001 for her career. Albright hung on for the rest of the half, never allowing the Blue Knights to increase their lead. The Lady Lions got as close as three points on three occasions in the waning minutes of the half, and trailed 34-31 at intermission. Mount St. Mary entered the game holding opponents to just 29.9% shooting from the field on the season, the best total in the nation in Division III. The Lady Lions shot 41.4% from the floor, but were 0-3 from three-point range. The Blue Knights dominated the glass, however, pulling down 26 rebounds in the half to just 12 for Albright. Included in that total were 11 offensive boards that led to 10 second chance points. Albright, by contrast, had only three offensive rebounds and no second-chance points.

The Lady Lions came out firing to start the second half. Bre Dillon blocked a Vanessa Lawson shot, grabbed the rebound, and found Hardwick for a lay up to pull Albright within a point. Then Annie McMahon came up with a steal, leading to a Jess McGinness lay-up to give Albright its first lead since early in the first half, 35-34. The Blue Knights called a quick time out, and after the break Jackie Markert hit a jumper to stop the Albright momentum and put the Knights back on top 36-35. That bucket started a 14-3 Blue Knight run that saw their lead grow to a game-high 10 points, 48-38, with 13 minutes left in the ball game. The Mount St. Mary led increased to 15, 55-40, on a Shannon Sangster hoop with just under eight minutes remaining. The Lady Lions didn't let Mount St. Mary get an further away, but the Skyline Conference Champions made 14 of 19 free throws in the second half to keep Albright from making a late run. Albright did not get closer than 10 points for the rest of the night, as the Blue Knights advanced to the second round of the tournament.

Hardwick's 23 points came on 10-14 shooting from the field and 3-4 shooting from the line. McGinness was the only other Lady Lion to finish in double figures, tossing in 13 points. Albright shot 43.1% from the floor for the game, but made just 1-9 three point attempts. Mount St. Mary continued its dominance of the boards in the second half, finishing the game with 46 rebounds to just 24 for Albright, including 17-6 on the offensive glass. Sangster led four Blue Knight starters in double figures with 16 points on 8-11 shooting. Markert finished with 15 points, followed by Lawson with 12 and Meredith Paggi with 11.

The loss brings to a close the career of four Albright seniors who have made up the most successful class ever to play women's basketball at Albright. Hardwick, Meredith Berger, Staci Waligorski, and Jen DuPrau leave Albright with 57 career wins, by far the highest total of any class. Along with Hardwick becoming the 10th member of the women's 1,000th point club, Berger put her name in the record books earlier in February with her 128th career blocked shot. All four of these young ladies played an integral part in Albright's rise to the national scene.

February 27, 2008: Lebanon Valley 74, Albright 60

Reading, PA - Lebanon Valley upended Albright 74-60 in the semi-finals of the Commonwealth Conference tournament Wednesday evening in the Bollman Center. The Dutchmen will now face Messiah College Saturday for the conference championship, while the Lady Lions must now wait and hope for an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament or possibly and ECAC bid.

The Lady Lions started fast, forcing six Lebanon Valley turnovers in the first four and a half minutes while taking a 7-0 lead. The Dutchmen settled down and used a 9-2 run to even the score at nine just under eight minutes in. Albright answered by scoring the next four points, and eventually pushed the lead to five, 20-15, on a Rory Yerkes three with 10:19 remaining in the half. Erin Schultz scored in the paint for LVC to pull within three, but Jess McGinness answered at the other end with a driving left-hand lay-up to restore the Lady Lions edge to five with 9:43 to play before intermission. The Lady Lions would not score their next point for six minutes, however, missing six shots and turning the ball over five times during that span. Lebanon Valley, meanwhile, scored 11 points to turn the five point hole into a six point lead, 28-22, with 3:43 to go. Bre Dillon drilled a three to break the Albright scoreless spell and get the Lady Lions back within three, 28-25, with 3:29 on the clock. That was the advantage LVC held at the end of 20 minutes, as they headed to the locker room with a 32-29 lead.

A jumper from Jenna Gambino and a three-point play by Andrea Hoover quickly pushed LVC's lead to eight in the opening minute of the second half. Albright trailed 39-31 two and a half minutes in, but another Dillon triple and a lay up from Jackie Hardwick closed the gap to three at 39-36. Albright could not manage to get even, however, as LVC maintained a 4-6 point lead for the next six minutes. A McGinness lay up made the score 46-42 Dutchmen with 11:20 to play, but an 8-2 LVC spurt, sparked by a Hoover three ball, gave LVC its first double-digit lead of the game at 54-44 with 9:10 remaining. Albright got no closer than eight the rest of the way, as LVC made 19 of 25 free throws in the second half to seal the win.

Hardwick led Albright with 13 points for Albright, followed by McMahon with 12 and McGinness and Dillon with eight each. The Lady Lions shot 37.7% from the field in the game, but were just 5-22 from three-point range. Hoover had a huge game for LVC, scoring a game-high 21 points on 7-9 shooting from the floor while also handing out four assists. Megan Bish added 10 points for the Dutchmen, who shot 48% from the field in the game.

February 23, 2008: Messiah 66, Albright 57

Grantham, PA - #5 Messiah stopped Albright 66-57 Saturday afternoon to complete a perfect run through the Commonwealth Conference. The Falcons (23-2, 10-0) head into next week's Commonwealth tournament as the top seed, while the Lady Lions (20-5, 8-2) will be the second seed and face Lebanon Valley Wednesday night in the Bollman Center.

The first half was a defensive struggle, as both teams had a hard time coming up with points. Albright shot just 20.7% (6-29) from the floor in the half, but Messiah wasn't a whole lot better at 11-30 (36.7%). Messiah held an 11-7 lead six and a half minutes in, but Albright scored the next five points, the final two coming on a pair of free throws from Annie McMahon, to take its first lead of the game at 12-11. The Falcons scored the next eight points, but Albright hung around, not letting Messiah run away and hide. The Lady Lions we in the midst of a 10-minute field goal drought, but managed to pull within a point with six straight points from the free throw line. Albright trailed 24-18 when Jess McGinness scored in the paint for Albright's first field goal in 10:25 and it started a 6-0 run that saw the Lady Lions pull even at 24 with 43 seconds left in the half. Messiah would score the final four points of the half, however, to take a 28-24 lead at the half.

Messiah asserted itself in the opening minutes of the second half, using a 15-4 run over the first five minutes to turn the four point halftime lead into a 15-point advantage, 43-28. The Falcon lead grew to as many as 19 points, 59-40 with 6:25 to play, as Albright struggled to mount a comeback. The Lady Lions trailed by 18 with two minutes to play before scoring the final nine points of the game to pull within nine at the final buzzer.

McMahon led Albright with 14 points, followed by McGinness and Jackie Hardwick with 11 points each. The Lady Lions made 50% of their shots from the floor in the second half, but we plagued all afternoon by turnovers, finishing the game with 26. Amy Reed and Nikki Lobach led Messiah with 21 and 20 points, respectively.

February 19, 2008: Albright 76, Widener 50

Reading, PA - Albright's record-setting season continued right on cue Tuesday night as the Lady Lions routed Widener 76-50 for their 20th win of the season. The win sets up a showdown for a share of the regular season title at Messiah Saturday afternoon for the Lady Lions (8-1, 20-4), while Widener (2-7, 10-14) faces a winner-takes-all game with Elizabethtown Saturday for the final conference tournament spot.

One other record was set Tuesday night. When senior center Meredith Berger swatted a Laura Carson shot with 12:34 left in the second half, she passed Allison Koch to become Albright's all-time leader in blocked shots with 128.

The Lady Lions turned up the heat on Widener right from the opening tip, forcing six Pride turnovers in the opening two and a half minutes while running out to a 10-1 lead. Megan Sipple hit a three to pull Widener within six, but Bre Dillon answered with a three of her own, her second of the night, to push the lead right back to nine, 13-4. A Charlotte Ciccone jumper with 13 minutes to play in the half gave the Lady Lions a 19-9 lead, and Widener never got within single digits the rest of the night. Her bucket was the start of a 17-5 run that gave Albright a 20-point lead, 34-14, with 5:45 left before the break. Albright's largest lead of the half was 22, 38-16, after a pair of Jess McGinness free throws late in the period, and the Lady Lions took a 40-22 lead to the locker room at halftime. Widener could not draw closer in the second half, as Albright cruised to their fourth straight win and 11th in its last 12 games.

Jackie Hardwick led Albright with a 17-point, 11-rebound effort. She was 7-10 from the field in the game. McGinness totaled 15 points for the Lady Lions, while Jen DuPrau and Annie McMahon each added nine. Dillon had a game-high eight assists in the game. Barbara Fleming led Widener with 15 points, followed by Laura Carson with 10.

February 16, 2008: Albright 77, Lycoming 47

Reading, PA - For the third consecutive season the Albright Lady Lions set a new school record for wins in a season, and on Saturday they did it in style, routing Lycoming 77-47 on a "Think Pink" afternoon in the Bollman Center. The Lady Lions are now 19-4 on the season, eclipsing the 18 wins they totaled last winter. Albright is 7-1 in conference play and remains just a game-back of first-place Messiah with two games left in the regular season. Lycoming (10-12, 1-7) still has a shot at the final playoff position in the Commonwealth Tournament, but will need to win out to have any chance.

Albright opened the game with a suffocating defense, but struggled from the field early as well. The Lady Lions led 7-6 after Lycoming's Rebecca Leid made a pair of free throws with 14:12 left in the half. Bre Dillon answered with a lay-up at the other end for Albright, which was the start of a 23-0 Lady Lion run that put the game away early. Dillon scored the first nine points of the game for the Lady Lions. Lycoming scored its first eight points from the free throw line, and didn't make a basket from the field until 6:11 remained in the half. Albright extended its lead to 40-14 at halftime, as Lycoming made just 3 of 21 field goal attempts (14.3%) in the half. The Lady Lions, by contrast, shot 56% from the floor, led by Dillon's 13 points on 5-6 shooting.

The Warriors were never able to threaten in the second half, as Albright held no less than a 22-point advantage throughout. The lead grew as high as 34 points with seven and a half minutes remaining as the Lady Lions cruised to their record-setting win.

Dillon finished with a game-high 17 points for Albright, and added three assists and a team-best five steals. Staci Waligorski dominated in the paint, scoring 16 points and pulling down a game-high 13 rebounds for her second double-double of the season. She was 7-8 from the field and a perfect 2-2 from the line. Meredith Berger, Rory Yerkes, and Charlotte Ciccone each had six points for Albright, and Berger tied the school record for career blocked shots with 127. Amanda Hart was the only Lycoming player to score in double figures, finishing with 11 points.

February 13, 2008: Albright 82, Elizabethtown 70

Elizabethtown, PA - Annie McMahon tied a career-high with 28 points to lead Albright to an 82-70 win at Elizabethtown Wednesday night in Thompson Gymnasium. The win clinches a second-straight playoff berth for the Lady Lions (6-1, 18-4), and ties the school record for wins in a season with 18. Elizabethtown (1-6, 10-12) trails Widener by one game in the race for the final playoff spot.

Albright started quickly, taking a 12-5 lead on a Jackie Hardwick lay up just over five minutes into the game. Etown responded with an 8-2 run to pull within a point at 14-13, and would eventually regain the lead at 19-18 on a Courtney Kofeldt three-ball midway through the opening period. The Blue Jays extended their advantage to five, 27-22, on a Megan Quinn jumper with six minutes remaining in the half. The Etown advantage was still five, 29-24, with three minutes to play, when McMahon took over the final minutes of the half. She scored six straight points to put the Lady Lions back on top by a point, 30-29, and after an Ashley Toczylowski jumper briefly put Etown back on top, McMahon canned a jumper at the buzzer to give Albright a 32-31 halftime lead. She had 17 points in the opening 20 minutes, while Quinn led the Blue Jays with 12.

McMahon picked up right where she left off at the start of the second half. She opened the half with a three, her second of the game, then came up with a steal at the defensive end and converted a lay up to extend Albright's lead to six, 37-31. Bre Dillon then grabbed a steal of her own and made a great feed to Jess McGinness for another fast break score and a 39-31 Lady Lion edge. The Albright lead grew to 10 on a Staci Waligorski bucket in the paint, and back-to-back three's a few minutes later from McGinness gave the Lady Lions a 14-point edge, 51-37, with 13:22 left in the ball game. Albright didn't let the Blue Jays mount much of a comeback, as every time Etown scored the Lady Lions answered with a bucket at the other end. Albright shot 56% from the field in the second half, including a red-hot 86% (6-7) from three-point range. Etown trimmed the deficit to single digits, 72-64, on a Quinn three with just under four minutes to play, but an 8-10 effort from the free throw line by the Lady Lions allowed Albright to hold off the Blue Jays the rest of the way.

McMahon's 28 points matched her career-high, the previous time coming against Shenandoah in January of 2007. She was 11-21 from the floor in the game, including 2-4 from three-point range. McMahon was also 4-5 from the foul line, and added a game-highs with five assists and six steals. McGinness was the only other Lady Lion to score in double figures, finishing with 15 points. Waligorski had eight points and a team-high 10 rebounds for Albright. Quinn led Elizabethtown with 19 points, followed by Erin Walton with 17 and Jenn Montague with 12. Montague finished with a double-double in the game, pulling down 11 rebounds.

February 9, 2008: Albright 73, Lebanon Valley 61

Reading, PA - Albright out scored Lebanon Valley 13-0 over the final 6:15 to take a 73-61 win over the Dutchmen Saturday night in the Bollman Center. The win keeps Albright (5-1, 17-4) within a game of Messiah in the Commonwealth Conference standings with four games to play, while LVC (3-3, 18-3) drops three games behind the Falcons and two behind Albright.

Jenna Gambino's three point play with 6:15 left in the second half capped a 9-2 Lebanon Valley run and gave the Dutchmen a 61-60 lead. The Lady Lions regained the lead on Charlotte Ciccone's jumper with 5:43 to play, then turned the defense up a notch. Neither team scored for the next two minutes, until Jen DuPrau made one of two free throws to extend Albright's lead to 63-61 with 3:34 on the clock. Jess McGinness came up with a clutch rebound on DuPrau's miss, setting up arguably the biggest play of the night. McGinness found Mallory Olsheski open for a 10 footer, and Olsheski connected to push the Lady Lion lead to four. While the shot was in the air, LVC's Suzie Noyes was called for a foul away from the ball, giving Annie McMahon two free throws. McMahon made one of two to put Albright on top 66-61. That would be the score for the next two and a half minutes, until DuPrau pulled down an offensive rebound and put back the lay up to give the Lady Lions a seven-point lead, 68-61 with 46 seconds remaining. LVC's Andrea Hoover was fouled on the next LVC possession, but she missed the front end of the one-and-one, then fouled DuPrau as she claimed the rebound. DuPrau sank both free throws at the other end to make it a nine-point spread and effectively put the game away for the Lady Lions.

The 12-point final spread was not indicative of the tight nature of the ball game. The first half alone saw six lead changes as well as nine ties. Lebanon Valley scored the first four points of the night, but Albright did not let the Dutchmen get any further away. Albright's first lead came on a Ciccone jumper with 12 minutes to play that made the score 15-13 Lions. Ciccone gave the Lady Lions eight points on 4-5 shooting off the bench in the half, and her lay-up with eight minutes remaining in the half put Albright on top 26-22 for its largest lead of the half. The teams battled back and forth the rest of the half, with Eryn Schultz drilling a three with four seconds left in the half to give LVC a 36-34 halftime lead.

The second half was tight as well, with Albright tying the score at 41, only to see the Dutchmen score six straight for the largest lead to that point of the game, 47-41, four and a half minutes in. The Lady Lions answered, getting back-to-back triples from Bre Dillon and McGinness in a 9-1 run to retake the lead at 50-48. Albright's advantage grew to six, 58-52, with nine minutes left, but the Dutchmen would use their 9-2 run to regain the lead for the final time at 61-60, setting up Albright's big finish.

McGinness led Albright with 21 points on the night, followed by McMahon with 16 and Ciccone with 10. DuPrau gave the Lady Lions seven points and a season-high 12 rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench, while Dillon handed out a game-high six assists. Schultz led Lebanon Valley with 18 points, while Lori Lidlow and Noyes each chipped in with 12.

February 6, 2008: Messiah 65, Albright 52

Reading, PA - In a battle for first place in the Commonwealth Conference, ninth-ranked Messiah defeated Albright 65-52 Wednesday night in the Bollman Center. The loss drops the Lady Lions (16-4, 4-1) a game behind the Falcons (18-2, 5-0) at the halfway point in the conference schedule.

Albright came out of the gate fast in front of a raucous crowd, as Staci Waligorski scored twice in the post and Bre Dillon drained a jumper to put Albright on top 6-0 and force a Messiah timeout 60 seconds into the contest. Jackie Hardwick came up with a steal after the timeout and scored in transition to put Albright on top 8-0 before Nikki Lobach got Messiah on the scoreboard with 18:11 to play. Albright led 12-5 after another Waligorski bucket with 16:38 to play, only to see Messiah run off nine straight points, capped by a Katie Kalb hoop, and take a 14-12 lead. After the quick start the game turned into a defensive struggle, with both teams scuffling for points. Albright regained the lead at 20-18 on Jess McGinness' breakaway lay up with 5:55 to play in the half, but would score just two more points before the break as Messiah took a 24-22 lead to the locker room.

The Lady Lions were never able to get back on top in the second half. Annie McMahon made one of two free throws to open the half and pull Albright within a point at 24-23, only to see Amy Reed drain a three for the Falcons to extend the lead to 27-23. Albright would close to within one on two more occasions early in the half, but 13-5 run by the Falcons gave the visitors a 42-33 lead with 10:49 left in the ball game. The Messiah lead grew to 10 at 48-38, but Albright fought back, cutting the deficit to five, 48-43, and a Jackie Hardwick put back with 7:42 to play. The Falcons didn't allow the Lady Lions to get any closer, however, answering Hardwick's score with a Lauren Schurr triple at the other end to start a 10-2 spurt that put the game out of reach.

Hardwick led Albright with 12 points on the night, followed by Waligorski and McGinness with 11 points each. The Lady Lions shot just 32.7% from the for the game. Waligorski pulled down a game-high eight rebounds, and Dillon handed out four assists for Albright. Lobach led Messiah with 24 points, 18 of them coming in the second half. Silalei Shani and Ashley Brooks each chipped in with 10 for the Falcons.

February 2, 2008: Albright 64, Lycoming 51

Williamsport, PA - Albright got 16 points from Annie McMahon in a 64-51 win at Lycoming Saturday afternoon. The win keeps Albright (16-3, 4-0) perfect in Commonwealth Conference play and sets up a showdown with Messiah, ranked ninth in the nation by D3hoops.com, Wednesday night in the Bollman Center.

Albright trailed 5-4 early on, but six straight points, the final four coming from Charlotte Ciccone, gave the Lady Lions a 10-5 lead four and a half minutes into the contest. Albright would go cold from the floor, however, as they would not get another field goal for the next five minutes. Lycoming had its own struggled from the floor as well, and when Jackie Hardwick scored to break Albright's cold spell the Lady Lions still held a 13-7 lead midway through the opening half. Hardwick's bucket was part of a 12-2 Albright spurt, capped by a jumper and a three-point shot from McMahon, that put Albright on top 22-9 with 6:50 left before the break. Lycoming rallied to cut the Lady Lion lead to five at 25-20 with just under two minutes left in the half, but Albright scored the final six points of the half to take a 31-20 lead to the locker room.

The Lady Lions extended their lead in the early portion of the second half, out-scoring the Warriors 8-3 in the first two minutes to hold 16, 39-23. Lycoming chipped away at the Albright advantage, pulling within seven, 44-37, after a Rebecca Leid jumper with 12:32 to play. Albright turned up the defense from that point on, holding the Warriors without a point for the next seven and a half minutes while pushing the lead back to 13, 50-37. Lycoming got no closer than eight points the rest of the afternoon. Once again Albright helped seal the deal with solid free throw shooting down the stretch, making seven of nine attempts in the final 2:40 to keep the Warriors at a safe distance.

McMahon scored her 16 points on 6-10 shooting from the field, including a 2-5 effort from three-point range. She also pulled down a game-high eight rebounds as Albright out-rebounded Lycoming 40-33. Jess McGinness was the only other Lady Lion to reach double-figures, scoring 11 points. Allison Mock led Lycoming with 13 points, followed by Leid with 10.

The Lady Lions will now prepare to host Messiah with first place in the conference on the line. The Falcons rolled over Widener 67-43 this afternoon to improve to 17-2, 4-0 on the season.

January 30, 2008: Albright 64, Elizabethtown 49

Reading, PA - Albright improved to 3-0 in Commonwealth Conference play with a 64-49 win against Elizabethtown Wednesday night in the Bollman Center. The Lady Lions got 15 points and nine assists from Bre Dillon and a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double from Staci Waligorski in winning for the sixth straight time.

After spotting the Blue Jays (9-9, 0-3) the first point of the game, Lady Lions (15-3) ran off the next nine points, getting the first five from Dillon and the next four from Jackie Hardwick. Etown would get no closer than seven points for the rest of the night. That came with 10:47 left in the half after Amanda Reid scored to pull the Blue Jays within 15-8, but six quick points from the Lady Lions pushed the lead to 13, 21-8. The Albright lead grew to 17, 36-19, after a Charlotte Ciccone lay-up on the break with 2:47 to go before halftime, and the Lady Lions took a 36-23 lead into the locker room.

Waligorski scored the first five points of a 7-2 Albright run to open the second half as Albright increased its lead to 19, 43-24. The largest margin of the game was 22-points, coming after a Waligorski put back made the score 61-39 with 5:21 to play. Albright coasted to the victory from there despite scoring just three points the rest of the night.

Hardwick joined Dillon and Waligorski in double figures, finishing with 12 points and adding eight rebounds. The Lady Lions out-scored Etown 38-20 in the paint, and had 18 points off the fast break on the night. Dillon's nine assists are a season high for the Lady Lions. Albright played outstanding defense all night, holding Elizabethtown to just 19% (7-37) shooting from the field in the first half and 25% (18-71) for the game. The Lady Lions held Blue Jay leading scorer Erin Walton to just 12 points, four below her average, and eight of those points came in the final six minutes of play. She was the only Blue Jay to reach double figures.

January 26, 2008: Albright 75, Lebanon Valley 65

Annville, PA - Albright used red-hot shooting from the field in the first half and a 20-27 performance from the free throw line in the second half to outlast Lebanon Valley 75-65 in Commonwealth Conference action Saturday afternoon. The win is the second straight road conference win for the Lady Lions (14-3, 2-0), while LVC (14-2, 0-2) falls for the second straight game after opening the season with 14 victories.

Albright scored the first six points of the game, and didn't allow the Dutchmen to hold a lead for the entire afternoon. The Lady Lions shot 63% (17-27) from the floor in the first half, but still held only a six point lead, 37-31, at the break. LVC cut Albright's early lead down to two points on a couple of occasions, but the Lady Lions would eventually push their advantage to eight, 22-14, after a Charlotte Ciccone jumper with 6:27 left before halftime. LVC wouldn't let Albright pull any further away, however, and got the deficit back down to three after a Shelly Lobach lay-up with just under two minutes to play. Albright would extend the lead back to six at the break after Annie McMahon drained a jumper in the waning seconds.

The Lady Lions started fast in the second half. Jess McGinness' three-point play capped a 9-2 run out of the locker room that gave Albright a 46-33 lead. McGinness had seven of the nine Albright points in the run. With that cushion in hand, Albright held LVC at a relatively safe distance the rest of the way. The Lady Lions shooting from the floor cooled off considerably, as they made just nine of 28 attempts in the final 20 minutes, but Albright made up for it at the foul line, making 20 of 27 free throw attempts. The Dutchmen cut the lead to seven after a three-point play by Lori Ludlow midway through the half, but Albright answered when Rory Yerkes was fouled in the act of shooting a three-point shot and sank all three free throws to restore the Lady Lion lead to 10. LVC got as close as six points with eight minutes to play, but Albright scored the next three points in the game, all from the line, and was never threatened in the closing minutes.

McGinness finished with a game-high 16 points for Albright, followed by McMahon with 15, 11 of them coming in the second half. She was 7-8 from the free throw line in the final 20 minutes. Ciccone came off the bench to score 10 points on 4-5 shooting from the floor. Albright once again got a strong effort up and down the lineup, as the Lady Lions scored 29 points off the bench to just 13 for LVC. McMahon and Jackie Hardwick each pulled down nine rebounds for the Lady Lions, who out-rebounded LVC 44-27 in the ball game. Suzy Noies had a game-high 20 points for LVC, followed by Ludlow with 18.

January 22, 2008: Albright 69, Widener 56

Chester, PA - Albright spotted Widener a 10-0 lead to start the game, but rallied to hold an eight point lead at the half and pulled away for a 69-56 in the Commonwealth Conference opener for both clubs Tuesday night. The Lady Lions (13-3, 1-0) held Widener (8-8, 0-1) without a field goal for a 13-minute stretch in recovering from the early hole.

Albright was stone cold from the floor to start the game, missing its first eight shots. Widener took advantage of the Lady Lions' sluggish start to build a 10-0 lead after a fast-break lay-up from Becky Tyler four minutes in. Albright finally got on the scoreboard when freshman Jess McGinness (Norristown, PA/Kennedy-Kenrick) converted a lay-up with 14:41 to play in the half. The Lady Lions pared the lead to five after a Rory Yerkes (Ambler, PA/Upper Dublin) three, but still found themselves trailing by seven, 16-9, when Barbara Fleming drained a triple for the Pride with 10:18 remaining in the half. That would be the last field goal of the half for Widener, however, as Albright ratcheted up the defense and took control of the game. Albright went on an 11-0 run over the next four minutes, taking its first lead of the night on a Jackie Hardwick (Dallas, PA/Dallas) bucket, to lead 20-16 with six minutes left before halftime. Widener missed 12 shots and committed 12 turnovers in the final 10 minutes of the half, managing just five free throws in that time. A Yerkes jumper with 1:22 left in the half provided the final points of the period as Albright took a 29-21 lead to the locker room.

The Lady Lions extended their lead to 12, 33-21, early in the second half. After a pair of free throws from Megan Sipple cut Albright's lead to 10, Widener finally broke it's field goal drought when Becky Tyler scored in the paint with 17:26 left to make the score 33-25. Albright then ran off eight unanswered points, capped by a Charlotte Ciccone (Drexel Hill, PA/Upper Darby) jumper in transition, that gave the Lady Lions their largest advantage of the night, 41-25, with 15 minutes remaining. The Pride did not go away, however, slowing chipping away at Albright's lead and getting as close as four points, 49-45, after a Beth Dessart Mager hoop with 8:48 on the clock. Albright answered with a 14-4 run to push the lead back to 14, only to see Widener score seven straight and pull within seven, 63-56, with 2:41 to play. Sophomore Mallory Olsheski (Topton, PA/Brandywine Heights) stopped the Pride momentum on the next possession, however, as she grabbed an offensive rebound and sank the put back while also drawing a foul. Her free throw completed the three-point play and gave Albright a 66-56 lead with two minutes left.

McGinness was the only Lady Lion to reach double figures in scoring, finishing with 14 points. Hardwick, Bre Dillon (Feasterville, PA/Villa Joseph Marie), and Annie McMahon (Havertown, PA/Haverford) each had nine points for Albright. All 11 players who saw playing time scored for Albright, as the Lady Lion bench out-scored Widener's reserves 26-3. Hardwick led Albright with seven rebounds, while Ciccone had a game-high seven assists and four steals to go along with six points. Tyler led Widener with 15 points, followed by Fleming and Dessart Mager with 14 points each. Tyler led all players with 12 rebounds on the night.

January 16, 2008: Albright 64, Ursinus 58

Reading, PA - Albright used a 7-0 run late in the second half to break a 53-53 tie and held on for a 64-58 win against Ursinus in non-conference action Wednesday night in the Bollman Center. Jackie Hardwick led four Lady Lions in double figures with 13 points, while Sarah Hennessey poured in a game-high 26 points for the Bears.

With the score tied at 53, Albright took the lead for good when Hardwick made one of two free throws with 3:19 left in the ball game. The Lady Lions turned their defense up a notch, forcing two turnovers and a missed jumper before Jess McGinness knocked down a jumper to increase Albright's lead to 56-53 with 1:47 on the clock. After another Bear miss Annie McMahon was fouled and drained both of her free throws to give push Albright's lead to five, 58-53. Albright capped its run when McMahon corralled a deep rebound off a Hennessey miss and found a streaking McGinness for a break away lay up and a 60-53 lead with just over a minute to play. The lead matched the largest of the night for either team. Hardwick and Bre Dillon each hit a pair of free throws in the waning seconds to ice the game for the Lady Lions.

Hennessey scored the first eight points of the game for Ursinus, giving the Bears an early 8-4 advantage. Albright ran off 11 straight points, five coming from Staci Waligorski, to hold seven, 15-8, but Ursinus came right back with eight straight to retake the lead at 16-15. That would set the stage for a low-scoring half that saw four ties and seven lead changes. Albright held a 25-23 lead at the break despite shooting just 24% (9-37) from the floor. Ursinus wasn't much better, hitting just 10-30 from the field, and were 0-8 from three-point range.

Albright held a 46-41 lead with 10 minutes to play in the game, but went cold from the floor, and Ursinus took advantage. The Bears scored eight straight over the next three and a half minutes to take a 49-46 lead with 6:34 to play. The teams went back and forth for the next three minutes before Albright pulled away late for the win.

Hardwick had a game-high 12 rebounds to go along with her 13 points on the evening. McGinness and McMahon each had 11 points for the Lady Lions, while Meredith Berger added 10. McMahon also had a game-best six steals. Albright took advantage of good shooting from the free throw line, making 16 of 20 attempts in the game. Ursinus, on the other hand, was just 7-19 from the line on the night. Hennessey finished with 26 and 10 boards for the Bears, while Carolyn Konstanzer added 14 points.

January 14, 2008: Albright 74, Dickinson 66

Carlisle, PA - Albright made 11 of 14 free throws in the final 1:10 of the game to pull away from Dickinson for a 74-66 non-conference win Monday night. With the win the Lady Lions improve to 11-3 on the season, while Dickinson falls to 7-6 in defeat.

Albright held a 63-62 lead with 2:32 to play in the ball game. After a pair of empty possessions from both teams, Jackie Hardwick went to the foul line with 1:10 left on the clock. Hardwick sank both free throws to give Albright a three-point lead. Following a Red Devil turnover, Bre Dillon was fouled and she sank both free throws as well to put the Lady Lions on top 67-62 with 55 seconds left. After Dickinson got two foul shots of its own from Laura Houseal, the Devils fouled Dillon immediately, and she drained two more from the stripe to restore Albright's advantage to five, 69-64. Mallory Olsheski grabbed a defensive rebound, was fouled, and hit the seventh and eighth consecutive free throws for the Lady Lions to push the lead to 71-64 with 30 seconds left. Albright would make three of their last six attempts from the line, but by that time had plenty of breathing room to finish off the win.

Dickinson held a 35-34 lead at the break after leading by as many as six points in the period. The lead changed hands six times in the half, but the Devils managed to pull away for a 27-21 lead with 8:42 to play in the half. Dillon cut the deficit in half with a three-ball that started a 9-2 Lady Lion run which Olsheski capped with a jumper to put Albright on top 30-29 4:32 before intermission.

Dickinson was able to regain the lead at the half, but Albright opened the second half with eight unanswered points to take its largest lead to that point in the game at 42-35. The Lady Lions held the lead until seven minutes remained, when two free throws from Brooke Muller pulled the Devils even at 55. Dickinson regained the lead at 57-55, but a Staci Waligorski lay up with 5:08 gave the lead back to Albright, 59-58, a lead they would not give up the rest of the way, sealing the game from the free throw line.

Dillon and Hardwick led Albright with 13 points each, with Dillon making 8-11 free throws and Hardwick knocking down six of eight. Jess McGinness added 10 points off the bench for the Lady Lions. Waligorski had a game-high 10 rebounds for Albright, as the Lady Lions pulled down 42 rebounds to just 22 for the Devils. Dillon also had a game high six assists and added a pair of steals on the night, while Annie McMahon had three steals as well. Kay Benitti came off the bench to score a game-high 16 points for the Red Devils, followed by Muller and Carole Dempsey with 13 points each.

January 12, 2008: Albright 68, Wilkes 46

Wilkes-Barre, PA - Albright used a 17-0 run late in the first half to pull away from Wilkes and rolled to a 68-46 non-conference win Saturday afternoon. The Lady Lions (10-3) held Wilkes (1-12) to just 16% shooting from the field in the first half, building a 35-15 lead that would not be challenged the rest of the way.

Albright held the Colonels scoreless for the first 5:42 of the ball game, during which time they took a 7-0 lead. Wilkes used a pair of free throws to get on the scoreboard, and kept the Lady Lions within striking distance for the next five minutes. Kate Cappelloni scored for Wilkes with 9:03 left in the half to pull the Colonels within seven at 17-10, but Albright answered back and effectively put the game away. Jess McGinness (Norristown, PA/Kennedy Kenrick) scored on the next possession for the Lady Lions to start a 17-0 Albright surge over the next seven minutes. By the time Wilkes scored again, a pair of free throws with two minutes left in the half, Albright held a commanding 34-12 lead, which would lead to the 35-15 halftime advantage.

The Lady Lions didn't lose any momentum coming out of the locker room, as a Meredith Berger (Schnecksville, PA/Parkland) bucket and a three-pointer from Bre Dillon (Feasterville, PA/Villa Joseph Marie) pushed the lead to 25, 40-15. Albright's lead grew to as many as 32 points in the half, as Wilkes never got closer than their 20-point halftime deficit.

McGinness led all scorers in the game with 17 points on 7-11 shooting from the floor. Dillon finished with 13 for the Lady Lions, including a 2-3 effort from three-point range, and added a game-best four assists. In all, 13 players got into the scoring column for Albright on the afternoon. Albright out-rebounded Wilkes 53-43, led by Berger, Jackie Hardwick (Dallas, PA/Dallas), and Staci Waligorski (Oaklyn, NJ/Collingswood), who each grabbed eight. Cappelloni and Mackensey O' Hara each had nine points to lead the Colonels.

December 15, 2007: Albright 66, Gwynedd-Mercy 56

Reading, PA - Senior Jackie Hardwick put together a monster game, scoring 18 points and grabbing a career-high 19 rebounds, and junior Annie McMahon also posted a double-double to lead Albright to a 66-56 win over Gwynedd-Mercy Saturday afternoon in the Bollman Center. McMahon finished with 16 points and 11 boards as the Lady Lions improve to 7-1 while the Griffins fall to 6-3.

Albright led the game from wire to wire, scoring the first seven points of the game to grab an early lead. After using a free throw to get on the scoreboard, the Griffins got got a three from Karen Tieney to pull within 7-4 five minutes in. Albright answered with eight straight points, four from Hardwick, to push its lead to 12, 16-4, with 12:27 remaining before the half. The Lady Lion lead bounced between nine and 12 points for the next seven minutes, until the got four straight points from Tierney to pull within five, 23-18, with 2:52 left in the half. Albright was able to stem the Gwynedd-Mercy momentum, and took a 27-22 lead to the locker room at the break. Hardwick and McMahon each had eight points at the half to lead Albright, while Tierney led all scorers with 10 points.

Albright held a 35-31 lead five minutes in to the second half when freshman Jessica McGinness scored on a breakaway lay up, assisted by Hardwick, to ignite a 12-1 Lady Lion run that put Albright on top 47-32 with 12:26 to play. McMahon had the final six points of the spurt for the Lady Lions. The Griffins got as close as six points, 53-47, following a 7-0 run with seven minutes to play, but Charlotte Ciccone drained a clutch jumper to put the Lady Lions back on top by eight. Gwynedd got no closer than seven points the rest of the afternoon, as Hardwick scored back-to-back buckets and Ciccone hit a pair of clutch free throws with two and a half minutes to play to help Albright put the game away.

Hardwick scored her 18 points on 8-15 shooting from the field. McMahon's 16 points included a 2-2 effort from beyond the three-point arc, the only two three's of the day for the Lady Lions. Staci Waligorski finished with 12 points for Albright, while Ciccone had a career-best eight assists. Tierney led the Griffins with 13 points, the only Gwynedd-Mercy player to reach double figures.

December 8, 2007: Albright 75, Cabrini 52

Reading, PA - Albright used a 21-5 run midway through the opening period to open up a 16-point lead and never looked back in taking a 75-52 win over the Cabrini Cavaliers Saturday afternoon in the Bollman Center. The Lady Lions are now 6-1 on the season, while the Cavaliers fall to 3-3.

The score was tied at 8-8 four and a half minutes in when Albright took control. Annie McMahon's (Havertown, PA/Haverford) jumper began a 10-0 run that put Albright on top by 10, 18-8, with 12 minutes left in the half. After the teams traded hoops Kate Walck drained a three for Cabrini to pull the Cavaliers within seven, but Albright responded with nine unanswered points to lead by 16, 29-13. The Lady Lions ran their lead to 22 on a fast break lay up by McMahon off a nifty feed from Rory Yerkes (Ambler, PA/Upper Dublin) with 1:32 remaining in the half, and held a 41-21 advantage at the break. Jessica McGinness (Norristown, PA/Kennedy-Kenrick) led Albright with 14 points in the opening period, while Walck finished with eight to lead the Cavaliers. Cabrini made five of 13 three-point attempts in the half, but just two of 15 attempts from inside the arc.

Albright never gave Cabrini a chance to get back in the game, using a 9-4 run in the first five minutes of the second half to push the lead to 25, 50-25. The Lady Lions' largest lead of the game was 29 points after a Jackie Hardwick (Dallas, PA/Dallas) basket made the score 58-29 with 10:51 to play. Cabrini never got closer than 19 points in the half as Albright took home the victory.

McGinness finished with a game-high 19 points to lead four Lady Lions in double-figures. McMahon tossed in 15 points to go along with a game-high eight rebounds and five steals. Staci Waligorski (Oaklyn, NJ/Collingswood) added 13 points for Albright, while Hardwick finished with 10. Yerkes had a team-leading four assists for the Lady Lions, who shot 53.7% from the floor in the game. For Cabrini, Walck and Alyssa Brady each had 10 points, followed by Deana DiAmico with eight.

December 1, 2007: DeSales 76, Albright 55

Reading, PA - DeSales out-scored Albright 44-21 in the second half, turning a close game into a 76-55 win over the Lady Lions Saturday afternoon in the Bollman Center. The loss id the first of the season for Albright (5-1), while DeSales improves to 5-1 with the win.

The first half was a hard-fought, tightly contested affair. DeSales pulled ahead by five, 15-10, on a LeighAnn Burke three with 11:30 remaining in the half. Albright responded with an 8-1 run, getting the first five points from Staci Waligorski and then taking an 18-16 lead on a three-point play from Jessica McGinness with 8:42 to play before the half. The lead would change hands four times as the teams went back and forth the rest of the half, with Albright eventually taking a 34-32 lead at halftime. McGinness led all scorers with 18 points after 20 minutes on 7-9 shooting from the field and a 3-3 effort from the foul line. Amanda Kuperavage led DeSales with nine points at the break.

Albright scored the first three points of the second half to take its largest lead of the game at 37-32. DeSales responded with seven unanswered points to give the Bulldogs a 39-37 lead four minutes in. The Lady Lions came right back, using a quick 5-0 run to retake the lead at 42-39 with 12:55 to play in the game. That would be the high point of the afternoon for Albright, however, as DeSales went on a 20-4 run to hold a commanding 59-46 lead with eight minutes to play. The Lady Lions went cold from the floor, and DeSales continued to pull away, eventually leading by as many as 24 points before the final buzzer sounded.

McGinness finished with a game-high 22 points, and was the only Lady Lion in double figures. Jackie Hardwick had eight points for Albright, while Waligorski finished with seven. Waligorski and Mallory Olsheski each had seven rebounds for the Lady Lions, who were out-rebounded for the first time all season. Burke and Kim Rarick each had 18 points to lead DeSales. Rarick did much of her damage from the free throw line, making 13 of 17 foul shots in the game. Overall DeSales was 26-35 from the line, while Albright was just 7-12.

November 29, 2007: Albright 73, Rutgers-Camden 67

Camden, NJ - Freshman Jessica McGinness (Norristown, PA/Kennedy Kenrick) poured in a career-high 29 points and Albright held off a furious Rutgers-Camden rally late in the game to take a 73-67 win over the Scarlet Raptors Thursday night. The Lady Lions are 5-0 for the first time in school history, while Rutgers-Camden falls to 2-3.

Albright led by 24 points, 67-43, after the last of four straight points by McGinness with 7:32 left to play in the game. After Carmen Oyola hit a three for Rutgers-Camden, senior Staci Waligorski (Oaklyn, NJ/Collingswood) scored in the paint for the Lady Lions to make the score 69-46 with seven minutes to play. That would be the final field goal of the game for Albright, however, as Rutgers-Camden tried to climb back into the contest. The Lady Lions went scoreless for the next five minutes as they saw their lead shrink to 69-63 with 2:10 left on the clock. Meredith Berger (Schnecksville, PA/Parkland) hit a free throw with two minutes left to break the scoreless streak for Albright, but two Imani Hafiz free throws for the Raptors cut the Albright lead to five, 70-65, with 1:48 to play. Rutgers-Camden fouled immediately, but Albright freshman point guard Rory Yerkes (Ambler, PA/Upper Dublin) calmly sank both free throws to restore the lead to seven, 72-65. Each team would score just a single point over the final 1:44, giving Albright the seven-point win.

The Lady Lions never trailed in the game, as junior Annie McMahon (Havertown, PA/Haverford) opened the scoring with a three point shot. Albright held an 11-7 lead six minutes in when McGinness took over. She scored 14 of Albright's next 18 points in an 18-4 run that gave the Lady Lions a 29-11 lead with 7:40 left in the half. Albright led by as many as 20 points in the opening period before Rutgers-Camden rallied late in the half to trim the lead to 12, 37-25. Albright pulled away in the second half, peaking with their 24 point lead before going stone cold from the floor but hanging on for the win.

McGinness was the only Lady Lion to score in double figures. She was 9-14 from the field, including 1-1 from three point range, and made 10 of 12 attempts from the free throw line. McMahon finished with nine points for Albright, followed by Berger and Waligorski with eight points each. Charlotte Ciccone (Drexel Hill, PA/Upper Darby) turned in another solid performance, scoring five points and handing out a game-high six assists without committing a single turnover. Jackie Hardwick (Dallas, PA/Dallas) led Albright with six rebounds, as the Lady Lions out-rebounded RCU 35-27. Hafiz led Rutgers-Camden with 22 points, followed by Karmina Blackwell with 12 and Oyola with 10.

November 27, 2007: Albright 77, Penn State Berks 46

Reading, PA - Albright ran past Penn State Berks 77-46 Tuesday night in non-conference action from the Bollman Center. The Lady Lions used an 18-0 run midway through the first half to blow the game open and never let the Nittany Lions back into the contest.

Albright (4-0) scored the first five points of the game, and took a 13-4 lead on a lay-up by Chelsea McTigue (West Chester, PA/Villa Maria Academy) five and a half minutes in. After Courtney Bailey scored for Berks to make the score 13-7, the Lady Lions turned up the defense, holding PSU scoreless for the next 7:49. Freshman Jessica McGinness (Norristown, PA/Kennedy Kenrick) answered Bailey's bucket with a three-point play at the other end, igniting an 18-0 Albright run that effectively put the game away. By the Bailey scored again for Berks, with 6:19 left in the half, Albright had built a 31-8 lead. The Lady Lions increased that lead to 41-12 at halftime, holding PSU to 18.5% shooting from the floor in the period (5-27). Albright cruised in the second half, as Berks never got closer than 27 points over the final 20 minutes. McTigue drained a jumper with 13:41 to play to give the Lady Lions their largest lead of the night at 61-23.

McTigue led Albright with a career-high 17 points on 7-8 shooting from the floor. McGinness had 14 points for the Lady Lions, followed by Jackie Hardwick (Dallas, PA/Dallas) with nine and Rory Yerkes (Amber, PA/Upper Dublin) with seven. 13 Lady Lions found their way into the scoring column in the game. Mallory Olsheski (Topton, PA/Brandywine Heights) had a team-high six rebounds for Albright, as the Lady Lions out-rebounded PSU 50-40 on the night. Charlotte Ciccone (Drexel Hill, PA/Upper Darby) handed out a team-leading six of Albright's 20 assists in the game while turning the ball over just one time. Annie McMahon (Havertown, PA/Haverford) had a game-high six steals, including the 100th steal of her career. For Berks, Bailey finished with 16 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Aislinn Sutcliffe added nine points for the Nittany Lions, while Steph Binder chipped in with eight.

November 20, 2007: Albright 66, Alvernia 65

Reading, PA - Albright edged Alvernia 66-65 for its second-straight win over its cross-town rival and third win of the 2007-08 season Tuesday night in the Physical Education Center at Alvernia. The Lady Lions are 3-0 this season, while the Crusaders fall to 1-2.

Albright held a 66-61 lead after a pair of free throws from Jackie Hardwick (Dallas, PA/ Dallas) with 34 seconds left in the game. Alvernia scored to cut the lead to three, then took advantage of a missed Albright free throw to score again and cut the Lady Lion lead to 66-65 with 15 seconds on the clock. After two more Albright misses at the free throw line, the Crusaders had a chance to take the victory on their final possession. Jill Rosolie missed a three with five seconds left, but got her own rebound in the paint. As Rosolie tried to get off another shot, she was tied up and the final buzzer sounded, allowing Albright to escape with the one-point win.

The game was tightly contested throughout, with 14 lead changes and 15 ties over 40 minutes. Neither team led by more than four until late in the half, when Meredith Berger (Schnecksville, PA/Parkland) scored four points in a 7-2 Albright run that gave the Lady Lions a 34-27 lead with less than a minute to play before the break. Janelle Richardson nailed a jumper for Alvernia to close the scoring for the half, as Albright took a 34-29 lead to the locker room. Annie McMahon (Havertown, PA/Haverford) led Albright with eight points at the break, while Michelle Lutzkanin and August Reichardt each had six points to lead the Crusaders.

Alvernia out-scored the Lady Lions 8-2 over the first five minutes of the second half to take a 37-36 lead. That would set up a back-and-forth second half, as the lead changed hands six times in the next five minutes. The largest lead of the half came after a Richardson lay-up put the Crusader up by four, 44-40, with 12 minutes to play. Albright came right back, however, as after a timeout the Lady Lions got back-to-back baskets from Charlotte Ciccone (Drexel Hill, PA/Upper Darby) to and a lay-up from Chelsea McTigue (West Chester, PA/Villa Maria Academy) to retake the lead at 46-44. Neither team would lead by more than two points from that point until the final minute of play. Ciccone scored to give Albright a 62-60 lead with 1:45 to go, and after an empty Crusader possession, McTigue scored to give Albright a four-point lead, 64-60, and set up the wild finish final seconds.

Hardwick led Albright with 12 points, followed by Ciccone with 11 and McMahon with 10. Ciccone also grabbed a game-high eight rebounds for the Lady Lions, who out-boarded the Crusaders 49-31. Berger finished with eight points and blocked three shots for the Lady Lions. Alvernia was led by Tracee Harrison, who scored 15 points on the night. Rosolie added 11 for the Crusaders.

November 17, 2007: Albright 62, Bridgewater (Va.) 41

New York, NY - Albright defeated Bridgewater College (Va.) 62-41 in the championship game of the Hunter Tip-Off Tournament Saturday afternoon. Junior Annie McMahon (Havertown, PA/Haverford) was named the Tournament Most Valuable Player, while Staci Waligorski (Oaklyn, NJ/Collingswood) joined McMahon on the All-Tournament Team.

Albright never trailed in the contest after scoring the first five points of the game. A three-pointer from Jessica McGinness (Norristown, PA/Kennedy Kenrick) gave the Lady Lions a 12-6 lead seven minutes in, but Bridgewater came right back with five straight points to pull within one at 12-11. Albright never allowed Bridgewater to pull even, however, and gradually built the lead back to nine, 26-17, on a Mallory Olsheski (Topton, PA/Brandywine Heights) jumper with 3:20 left in the half. Play was pretty even for the final three minutes, as Albright took a 28-21 lead at the half.

Albright put the game away with a 13-0 run midway through the second half. Leading 32-26 four and a half minutes into the period, Waligorski took over for the Lady Lions. She scored on three straight possessions for Albright to push the lead to double digits at 38-26. Another McGinness three gave the Lady Lions a 15-point lead, and Chelsea McTigue (West Chester, PA/Willa Maria Academy) scored back-to-back buckets in the paint to give Albright a 45-26 lead with 10:39 left in the game. Bridgewater was able to get as close as 12 points with just over six minute to play, but Albright pulled away from there for a comfortable victory.

McGinness and Waligorski each scored 12 points to lead Albright, while McTigue added eight and Charlotte Ciccone (Drexel Hill/Upper Darby) chipped in with seven. Meredith Berger (Schnecksville, PA/Parkland) pulled down a team-high seven rebounds, and Rory Yerkes (Amber, PA/Upper Dublin) handed out six assists for the Lady Lions. Jessica Timberlake led Bridgewater with 11 points.

November 16, 2007: Albright 84, Hunter 31

New York, NY - Albright rocked Hunter College 84-31 in the opening round of the Hunter College Tournament Friday night. The Lady Lions will play Bridgewater College at 3:00 Saturday afternoon for the tournament title. Bridgewater defeated Greensboro College 66-55 in the nightcap Friday.

Albright spotted the host Hawks a 7-0 in the opening two minutes, but that would be the highpoint for Hunter in the game. The Lady Lions pulled within a point, 10-9, on a Rory Yerkes (Amber, PA/Upper Dublin) three with 14:17 left in the half. After a Meagan McKenna lay-up put Hunter up 12-9, junior Annie McMahon (Havertown, PA/Haverford) drained a jumper to start a 19-0 Albright run that saw the Lady Lions take a 28-12 lead. Albright pushed the lead to 35-16 with two minutes to play in the half, then saw freshman Jessica McGinness (Norristown, PA/Kennedy Kenrick) score the final eight points of the half to take a 43-16 lead to the locker room. McGinness led Albright with 10 points at intermission, followed by McMahon and Yerkes with eight each.

The Lady Lions didn't give an inch in the second half, as the Hawks never got closer than 25 points. Albright held Hunter to just five field goals in the second half while shooting 57% (16-28) from the floor while pulling away for the easy win. McMahon led all scorers in the game with 16 points, followed by McGinness with 10. Yerkes, sophomore Mallory Olsheski (Topton, PA/Brandywine Heights), and senior Staci Waligorski (Oaklyn, NJ/Collingswood) each added eight points in a game that saw 13 Lady Lions find their way into the scoring column. Waligorski had a team-best seven rebounds on the night. McKenna led Hunter with 12 points, followed by Andrea Buckham with 11.