(box score)
Widener left a first-half lead get away and was dealt its first Commonwealth Conference loss of the season, 82-74 at Albright in Reading, PA.
Freshman Nick Moore (Erial, NJ) made a layup with 3:38 left to help Widener (8-6, 3-1 CC) close to 69-66. Derek Hall on Albright's next possession missed a short jumper, but got his own rebound and hit twice from the line with 2:59 to go for a 71-66 contest.
Junior BJ Smith (Baltimore, MD) made a jumper with 1:52 remaining as the Pride moved to 73-68. The Lions (11-4, 3-1) answered again from the line, this time with Zac Shaeffer hitting twice with 1:31 left for a 75-68 contest.
Shane Irwin's steal and two free throws with 53 seconds remaining gave the Lions a 77-68 lead. Junior Jack Brennan (Stratford, NJ) made a layup to bring Widener within seven with 39 seconds to go, but Matt Ashcroft hit twice from the stripe two seconds later for a 79-70 contest.
Brennan had 16 points and nine rebounds with Smith also netting 16 points for Widener, which held a 32-15 lead with 4:33 to go in the opening half. Senior Chris McDevitt (Doylestown, PA) added 12 points and four 3-pointers for the Pride, who shot 51 percent (31-of-61) from the field overall and 7-of-20 from beyond the arc.
Hall notched 23 points and eight rebounds, Schaeffer scored 18 points and Ashcroft netted 15 for the Lions, who shot 20-for-22 from the line that included 16-for-17 in the second half. Albright also shot 50 percent (15-of-30) from the field after intermission, including 6-of-10 from 3-point range.
Smith scored all nine of his first-half points during a 20-5 run for the Pride over the first 10 minutes. Brennan poured in 10 points in the first half for Widener, which held a 40-30 lead by shooting 57 percent (17-of-30) from the floor.
Widener on Saturday hosts Lebanon Valley for a 3:00 pm tipoff.
