Second Half Run Carries Albright Women Past Hood, 64-55

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The Albright College women's basketball team made a 16-5 second half run to take over the lead for good, in a 64-55 victory vs. Hood in the Bollman Center.

Down 35-26, Albright made its move. Kelecia Harris' putback (her second straight hoop) cut the deficit to five, and Shannon Thomas' basket two minutes later made it 37-36 and forced a Hood timeout.

Jessica Venturelli nearly scored on the break to take a 40-39 lead, but was called for the charge. Kadijah Bishop tied it at 40-all in the post with exactly 10 minutes to play, and then scored again off Meghan Boyle's assist to make it 42-40. Albright would lead the rest of the way.

Harris finished with 20 points (7-of-11 shooting), 11 rebounds and two blocks. Fellow sophomore Bishop added eight points, 10 boards and a pair of steals. Senior Kristi McFadden made 4-of-5 shots (nine points) and dished out a game-high six assists.

Albright trailed 27-21 after a first half in which the Lions shot just 31.0% from the floor and missed 6-of-7 three point attempts.

Harris' lay in with 12:24 left in the first half gave Albright a 10-7 lead, and she extended it 14 seconds later after stealing the ball in the backcourt and laying it in.

The Lions were held scoreless for the next 5:03 however, as Hood went ahead by a point. Amanda Tiritilli found Emily O'Donnell over the top to put Albright back up 14-13.

Verkia Smith stole a pass and went the other way to make it 18-14 Hood. Thomas answered with a three, but Alexis Briscoe broke after another steal to give the visitors a 27-21 halftime lead.

Smith opened the second half with a three-pointer. Thomas sank a triple, but Smith answered with a step-back three for a 33-26 Hood advantage.

Smith finished with 13 points for Hood on 3-of-6 shooting behind the arc. Rachel Kessler totaled 11 points, five assists and four steals.

The Lions hosted their annual "PInkZone" breast cancer fundraiser and wore special pink uniforms for the occasion.

Albright improves to 13-9, 7-8 and sits in a three-way tie for the final Commonwealth playoff spot with Widener and Lycoming (after Widener lost to Elizabethtown and Lyco upset Lebanon Valley).