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WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – A hot-shooting Albright College team built a 17-point lead by halftime and the Lycoming College men’s basketball team, despite a second-half run that cut the lead to five points, could not complete a comeback on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 4, in a 64-56 loss to the Lions at Lamade Gym in the Warriors’ Commonwealth Conference home opener.

Sophomore Jerald Williams (Riverdale, Md./Bladensburg) led the Warriors (5-2 overall, 0-2 Commonwealth) with 12 points, including three second-half 3-pointers, and sophomore Ihsaan Davis (Jamaica, N.Y./Christ the King), who posted 10 points, five assists and four rebounds.

Down by 22 points in the second half, the Warriors closed the gap all the way to five points with a 25-8 run that occupied 12 minutes in the second half. A fastbreak layup by freshman Kevin Anthony (Atlanta, Ga./Bridgton Academy), who finished with eight points and nine rebounds, started the run and a pair of 3-pointers from Williams cut the lead to 14 with 11:11 left. A layup from senior Will Kelly (Williamsport, Pa./Loyalsock Township), who finished with nine points and nine rebounds, cut the lead to 12 with 9:56 left. Sophomore John Ryan Wolff (Morrisville, Pa./Pennsbury) hit a runner in the lane to cap a 12-0 run and make it a 49-39 Albright lead.

The Lions kept the lead in three-possession range at 54-43 with 6:09 left before another trey from Williams started a 9-3 Lycoming run that was capped on a layup by junior Mike Bradley (Philadelphia, Pa./St. Joseph’s Prep), making it 57-52 with 1:47 left.

However, the Lions answered with a layup by Tom Paul and six free throws in the final nine seconds helped them seal the win.

The Lions took an 11-5 lead in the opening five minutes of the game and sustained it until a 3-pointer from senior Sebastian Sabella (Bayside, N.Y./Episcopal School) cut the lead to four points at 18-14 with 8:36 left in the half. However, the Lions scored the next seven points and a pair of 3-pointer in the final two minutes of the half gave the Lions a 35-18 lead at the break.

The Lions kept the pressure on in the second half, as Matt Ashcroft hit a pair of 3-pointers in a span of 82 seconds to help the team take a 20-point lead with 14:11 left and another 3-pointer from Paul gave the Lions a 49-27 lead with 13:30 left, setting up the Warriors’ comeback.

Ashcroft scored 20 points, adding five rebounds and three rebounds for the Lions and Shane Irwin posted eight points and 20 rebounds to go with five assists. Paul added 11 points and Zach Schaeffer posted 10.

The Warriors hit the road for their next three games, as they start the trek by facing Juniata on Tuesday, Dec. 7 at 7:30 p.m.