Box Score

ROCHESTER, New York – Led by Matt Ashcroft and Adam Van Zelst, the Lions (10-1) picked up their second tournament championship of the season as they swept the Nazareth College Tournament with a 68-52 win over John Hopkins University (4-3) in the championship game Wednesday evening at Kidera Gymnasium.

Ashcroft totaled a team best 12 points and five rebounds in 32 minutes of action. Van Zelst finished second on the team in scoring with 11 points and was also announced as a member of the All-Tournament team.

Sophomore Derek Hall stepped up again as the Lions top rebounder with nine boards, while also tallying six points in the championship win. In only his second game back with the Lions senior guard Andre Murphy finished third on the team in scoring with nine points all of which were scored from behind the arc and in a six minute window.

Tournament MVP Zac Shaeffer also had a solid evening totaling seven points and six boards. Overall the Lancaster native averaged 17.5 points per game to help the Lions to their fourth straight win.

The Blue Jays also had two players finish in double-figures with Mike Henrici leading the team with 12 points, followed by Danny Gergen with 11.

On the night Albright was dominant on the boards totaling 40 rebounds as compared to John Hopkins 21. They also shot an impressive 46.7% from the field and 85.7% from the free throw line.

Albright wasted little time taking control of Wednesday's championship game scoring the first eight points in less than minutes. Following the 8-0 run, John Hopkins kept the red and white within arm's reach for the next eight minutes. They actually managed to take the lead once and tied the score twice.

However that quick offensive surge, did not last as Albright came roaring back at the halfway point jumping out to a seven point lead. The Lions would then add some additional breathing room in the final five minute of the half to secure a 36-25 lead at the break.

The Lions continued to roll in the second half, jumping out a 13 point lead following back-to-back free throws from Shaeffer. At only one point in the final 20 minutes of play were the Blue Jays able to cut the Lions lead down to single digits (9 points).

For the Lions they actually managed to increase their lead to 22 points with about nine minutes left to play following another quick and dominant run. John Hopkins tried to battle back, but their efforts were too little too late as the red and white walked away with the 68-52 decision and the championship.

Men's Basketball returns to action on Wednesday, January 6th when they travel to Misericordia University for a non-conference match-up scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.