CHESTER, Pa. (Feb. 22, 2017) – Junior Sardayah Sambo (Middletown, Del.) scored 20 points, but it wasn't enough, as the Widener University men's basketball team fell to Albright by an 86-68 decision in the semifinal round of the Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth Tournament at the Schwartz Center on Wednesday evening.
 
Even though Widener scored the first points of the game, the Lions started firing from all cylinders and answered with an 11-4 run to build up a 15-8 advantage and force the Pride to call a timeout with 14:36 on the clock. The quick break, however, did not cool off Albright's hot shooting from the field and particularly from long range. Rowles converted a jumper, which was the team's seventh field goal in nine attempts, and then found Jaylin Calloway for a 3-pointer to give Albright a double-digit advantage at 24-14. Rowles later drove in a for a layup to make it a 20-point game in the waning minutes to prompt another Widener timeout, and the Lions carried a commanding 48-28 lead into recess.
 
Widener (16-10) opened the second half on a high note by getting a layup from Sambo on its opening possession, but Rowles responded by finishing on the other end to push the deficit back to 20. Albright then stretched the margin to 30 when Jayson Clark drove in for a layup to make it 68-38, and the hosts would never recover. Widener slashed a 32-point deficit down to 16 when senior John Fender (Wallingford, Pa.) canned a 3-pointer, but the large lead the Lions built up was just too much to overcome. DeLascio Dancy would nail a free throw in the waning seconds to produce the final outcome.
 
Rowles led Albright (13-13) by netting a career-high 24 points, which was more than double his average, while also grabbing six rebounds and dishing out four assists. Omari Ringgold added 19 points, and DeJuan Smith fell just shy of a double-double by contributing 12 points, nine rebounds and five helpers.
 
Elijah Boyd (Germantown, Md.) and Sambo paced Widener in the setback. Boyd scored a career-high 16 points in a reserve role, while Sambo netted 20 by shooting 7-of-9 from the floor and 6-of-10 from the line. Senior Kendall Green (Mount Laurel, N.J.) added 13 points, and Fender contributed 12 points and seven boards along with three steals.
 
Widener took a big step forward this winter by making its first appearance in the MAC Commonwealth Tournament since 2012, and the team's 16 victories were the most since winning 18 games five years ago. The program graduates only two seniors and is slated to return 12 letterwinners next season.