READING, PA – For the second consecutive night, the Cabrini men's basketball team saw its second half lead slip away, as the Cavaliers suffered a 92-76 loss at Albright College in the consolation game of the 2019 Crown Plaza Holiday Tournament.
Cabrini led 49-44 after sophomore
Voshon Mack's three point play at the 17:17 mark, but minutes later the Lions used a 16-5 spurt to build a 67-59 lead with 9:32 to play, seizing control of the action.
The Blue and White struggled to find its offensive rhythm in the second half, as it shot just .371 from the floor after the break, connecting on just 2-12 from three point range.
The home team took full advantage, connecting on 18 of its 33 second half field goal attempts and converting Cabrini's nine second half turnovers into 14 points.
Senior
Keith Blassingale led the Blue and White with 25 points and seven rebounds, while Mack finished with 19 points. Junior
DJ Smith chipped in with 11 points off the bench.
Both teams played as back and forth opening 20 minutes, as evidenced by 14 lead changes and eight ties.
The Cavaliers led for much of the opening stanza, but could not push their lead beyond dive points.
Trailing 26-21 midway through the frame, Albright used a 13-2 run to establish a six point cushion with just over five minutes to play in the half.
The Cavaliers regained some momentum in the final minute of the stanza, scoring the final five points of the half, with Blassingale's triple sending Cabrini into the break with a 44-42 lead.
While the Blue and White shot a solid .517 from the floor in the opening 20 minutes, draining 8-13 from three point range, Albright kept the game close on the strength of a 15-4 advantage in second chance points, while outscoring Cabrini 20-12 in the paint.
Samuel Majekodunmi produced the majority of the Lions' (7-5) offense with 44 points on 16-21 shooting from the floor and 9-10 from the free throw line. Sidney Brown added 17 points and matched Majekodunmi with seven rebounds.
The Cavaliers (3-8) will look to end their three game losing streak on Saturday, when they head north to visit SUNY Cortland (6-2). Tip-off is slated for 1pm in Cortland, NY.
