Sophomore Calvert Gantz set a new single game school record with 10 blocks, as the Albright College men's basketball team held off York 59-54 in the Wyndham Reading Holiday Tournament.
Gantz's 10 rejections broke Terence Skyrm's mark of eight, set back in 1999. He just missed a double-double with nine points, and added five rebounds.
Senior Pedro Perez did have a double-double, adding 11 rebounds to a point total of 25 that included multiple key buckets. Classmate Kyle Jordan chipped in with 12 points, eight rebounds, four steals and three blocks (the Lions totaled 17 rejections as a team).
The Lions held on to win despite converting just five field goals after halftime. Albright converted 18-of-28 free throw attempts in the second half.
After York had surged into a second half lead, Perez restored a 51-50 Albright advantage from the free throw line with less than four minutes to play.
The redshirt-senior broke a 52-all tie with a nice up-and-under, then stole a pass with less than two minutes to play and added two free throws for a 56-52 lead.
Albright led 31-24 at the break after a Perez put-back beat the buzzer.
Gantz blocked three shots in the first 3+ minutes of the game and had five rejections and five points at halftime. Perez scored consecutive baskets for an early 9-2 Lion advantage.
Freshman Sameen Swint found Jordan underneath with a great pass to make it 11-4, and Perez soon sank a three-pointer for a 14-6 lead. Casey Burke's put-back pushed the gap to 20-8.
York battled back late in the half, pulling to within two, 24-22, on Ryan Beaver's transition three-pointer. The Lions closed the period on a 7-2 run.
Albright (4-5) will play Pitt-Bradford in the tournament championship, tomorrow at 4 p.m. York and Farmingdale State will meet at 2 p.m. in the consolation game.
Bradford rallied from a double-digit deficit to win 74-73 with one second remaining. Point guard Eric Matheson followed up a chance and tipped in the rebound after Farmingdale's Donald Lawes (the national leader in blocks) had rejected his fifth shot of the game.