READING, Pa. – Jane Joyce and Kelecia Harris each scored 14 points and No. 9 Albright routed Alvernia 95-49 in a MAC Commonwealth game on Tuesday in the Physical Education Center to close out the regular season.
Albright, which extended its winning streak to 11 straight games, finished the regular season with a 23-2 overall record and a 15-1 record in conference play to conclude the best season in school history. Both the 23 overall victories and the 15 conference victories are the most in Albright history.
The Lions, who have already secured the top seed in the upcoming MAC Commonwealth Tournament, will host a semifinal game in the tournament on Feb. 24 in the Bollman Center against an opponent to be determined.
Albright closed out the regular season in impressive fashion as the Lions scored their most points since scoring 97 points in a victory over Delaware Valley on Jan. 4, 2008.
The Lions shot a blistering 53.9 percent from the floor for the game, while limiting Alvernia to just 32.2 percent shooting. Albright dominated the boards as the Lions held a 53-22 rebounding advantage over the outmanned Crusaders.
Albright outscored Alvernia 52-14 in the paint, 34-8 in points off turnovers and 27-3 on second-chance points.
Joyce finished the game 7-of-9 from the floor and also added six rebounds, four steals and three assists, while Harris was 7-of-8 from the field and had eight rebounds, two blocks and two assists.
Albright also received 11 points from sophomore Nina Mazzarelli and 10 points from freshman MiKayla Lea, while Shannon Thomas and Emily O'Donnell each scored nine points.
Alvernia, which dropped to 8-16 overall and 3-12 in conference play, was led by Logan Focht who scored a game-high 16 points.
Albright, which led for the entire game, built a 10-point lead just 4:11 into the game.
Thomas hit back-to-back three-pointers giving the Lions a 12-2 lead at the 5:49 mark of the first quarter.
Harris increased the Albright lead to 17-2 with back-to-back layups, but Alvernia responded with a 4-0 run to cut the Lions lead to 17-6 with 3:20 left in the first quarter.
Harris, Joyce and O'Donnell all scored baskets for the Lions as Albright closed the quarter with a 6-0 run to take a 23-6 lead after the first quarter.
Albright extended the run to 14-0 as Devan Horka and Lea each scored four points to open the second quarter as the Lions built a 31-6 lead with 6:10 to play before halftime.
Albright stretched the lead to 27 points before taking a 41-18 lead into the intermission.
The Lions took their largest lead of the game when Morgan Harris scored inside increasing the lead to 83-33 with 6:00 to play in the game.
Albright has a bye for the final weekend of conference play, which will conclude on Saturday. The conference will announce the official pairings for the MAC Commonwealth Tournament on Saturday night.