READING, PA – In a game that never should have gotten to overtime, the Albright College Lions outlasted the York Spartans 81-71 in overtime in the battle of two of the top teams in the MAC Commonwealth on Wednesday in Reading.
The Spartans had a 66-63 advantage with 1.4 seconds left when the Lions advanced the ball and got what looked like a 35-foot desperation three. The shot was blocked by Jackson Mascari but a very late whistle after the horn went off awarded the Lions three free throws with 0.3 seconds left in regulation. Eric Chamberlain sunk all three free throws to force overtime. The Lions then rolled from there to earn the big Commonwealth win.
The Spartans have their four-game win streak snapped as they fall to 16-6 overall and 9-2 in the league. The Lions improve to 14-7 overall while they are now tied for first place with the Spartans at 9-2. Albright has now won six straight games.
 
How It Happened
• The Spartans got off to a fantastic start as they raced out to a 14-6 lead over the first six minutes of the game. Jayden Rowe scored six points on the run as York was clicking early. The Lions cut the Spartan lead to six (19-13) on an Isaac Lapierre three midway through the first half. York scored 11 of the next 17 points of the game to push out to a 30-19 lead as the first half offensive pace was very up-tempo.
• The Lions cut the Spartan lead to six at 32-26 on a Chris Kouemi jumper with 4:41 left in the half. York responded by ripping off a 10-2 run to push their lead to 42-28 with 2:15 left on the clock. The Lions scored six of the final eight points of the half as they trailed by ten heading into the intermission.
• After the Lions opened up the second half with a Kouemi lay-up, the Spartans scored 11 of the next 18 points over the next 7:25 as York led 55-43. The defensive effort on both sides was much tighter after the half. Pat Gilhool drilled a triple with 8:56 left to give the Spartans a game-high 60-45 lead. The teams traded buckets over their next two possessions as the Spartan lead remained 15.
• That's when the Lions began their comeback. Albright hit the Spartans with a 15-2 run covering 4:37 of game time. That run sliced the Spartan lead to 64-62 with 2:52 remaining in regulation. Albright was 6-for-7 from the field and 3-for-4 from the free throw line on the run while York was 0-for-4 from the floor with two turnovers.
• Kai Cipalla stopped the run with a bucket with 2:23 left in the game. Eric Chamberlain then hit three of four free throws, the last one coming with 16 seconds left. The Lions pressed down one but York broke free and got a Cipalla dunk with 1.4 seconds left. The Lions quickly inbounded the ball and Chamberlain pulled up in front of the scoring table and unleashed a desperation three to tie the game. The shot appeared to be blocked but as the horn sounded, a whistle signaled a foul with no time left on the clock. The officials put 0.3 seconds on the clock and Chamberlain calmly sunk all three to force the improbable overtime.
• The Lions had the much better of the play in the extra session. Chamberlain hit a bucket to open the overtime, giving the Lions their first lead of the game. Albright scored six points to open the overtime while the Spartans struggled to find the mark. The Lions outscored York 13-3 in the overtime to earn the victory.
 
By The Numbers
The Spartans shot 42.9% (27-for-63) from the floor including 8-for-28 (28.6%) from three … the Spartans were just 9-for-17 (52.9%) from the stripe … the Lions shot 49.1% (28-for-57) from the floor including 7-for-18 (38.9%) from three and 75% (18-for-24) from the stripe … York held a 39-34 edge on the glass including a 12-4 margin in offensive rebounds … the Lions had 19 assists while the Spartans were credited with just 12 … York committed 14 turnovers which cost them 14 points while Albright's 11 turnovers cost them 13 points … both teams had seven steals … Albright had an 11-2 margin in fast break points … Albright had a slight 38-34 advantage in paint points … York led for 39:30 of the game while Albright led for the final 4:47 of overtime … the Lions placed four players in double figures led by Eric Chamberlain as he poured in 26 points, grabbed four rebounds, had five assists and two steals … Chamberlain was 7-for-15 from the floor, 1-for-2 from three and 11-for-12 from the free throw line … Chris Kouemi added 18 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals as he was 7-for-10 from the floor and 4-for-6 from the stripe … Jeremiah Stanton chipped in with 15 points, six assists, three rebounds and a steal … Phanique Dupree recorded a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds while he also blocked six shots … the foursome scored 69 of the Lions' 81 points in the game.
 
Spartan Notes
The Spartans are now 10-4 all-time against the Lions as the teams split their regular season series this season … senior Jackson Mascari scored his 1,000^th career point on a jumper with 11:12 left in the second half … he is the second Spartan to reach 1,000 career points this year joining Kai Cipalla who reached the milestone in December … Mascari is the 26^th player in school history to reach the scoring mark … York falls to 1-4 in overtime this year as four of their six losses have come in an extra session … the Lions made more free throws than the Spartans attempted in the game … the Spartans won the battle on the glass for the second straight game … senior Kai Cipalla tallied a team-high 22 points while he also had six rebounds and two assists … Cipalla played 43 minutes and was 9-for-15 from the floor including 2-of-3 from three and 2-for-4 from the stripe … Chris Miers added 16 points and six rebounds in 31 minutes of play … Mascari tallied 11 points, nine rebounds five assists and two steals in his 36 minutes of action … Mascari was 5-for-10 from the floor including 1-for-2 from the line … Jayden Rowe added 10 points, two rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot … Tate Landis contributed six points, six rebounds three assists and two steals.
 
Up Next
The Spartans play their final regular season road game of the year on Saturday as they head to Messiah to tangle with the Falcons in a MAC Commonwealth contest. Tip time as part of the conference doubleheader is set for 4:00 pm.