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Widener nearly erased a double-figure deficit in a tough road battle, but was dealt a 64-56 Commonwealth Conference loss by Albright in Reading, PA.
Widener, which trailed by as many as 17 in the opening half, closed to 39-37 with 9:36 left when senior Beth Dessart Mager (Newtown Square, PA) nailed a 3-pointer. The Pride worked their way back into game by holding the Lady Lions without a basket over 12 minutes bridging both halves.
But Albright rattled off seven straight points, thanks to four from Bre Dillon, for a 46-37 cushion with 6:00 left.
The Pride (14-8, 5-4 CC) hung tight, moving to 48-45 with 1:58 remaining when senior Barbara Fleming (Philadelphia, PA) hit a layup. However, the Lady Lions canned six straight free throws that included four from Annie McMahon for a 54-45 margin with 1:11 to play.
Albright (14-8, 5-4) won the game at the line, converting 16-for-18 over the final 1:35, 25-for-28 in the second half and 32-for-39 overall. McMahon was the biggest culprit, hitting all 15 of her attempts that included 10 in the second half.
Dessart Mager and Fleming poured in 19 points apiece for the Pride, who shot 36 percent (18-of-50) overall and could not overcome making just 29 percent (6-of-21) in the first half. Freshman Casey Pritz (Abington, PA) grabbed 12 rebounds.
McMahon scored 23 points, Dillon netted 15 and Jessica McGinness added 12 and nine rebounds for the Lady Lions, who won despite shooting only 17 percent (4-of-23) in the second half. The home team hit 32 percent (15-of-47) overall.
The squads are tied for third place in the conference after splitting their two meetings, 1 1/2 games behind Lebanon Valley for second.
Albright went on a 24-5 run to take a 30-13 lead with 3:05 left in the first half. McMahon scored 11 points in that span for the Lady Lions, who opened a 31-21 halftime lead by shooting 46 percent (11-of-24) from the floor.
Widener is home Saturday against Lycoming as it will take part in the “Pink Zone,” the WBCA initiative to help find a cure for breast cancer. All fans are asked to wear pink. The women's game tips at 1:00 pm, followed by the men's contest at 3:00 pm.
