GLENSIDE, Pa. - The Arcadia University men's basketball team put together a strong second-half effort to down visiting Albright in its MAC Commonwealth opener Wednesday night in Alumni Gymnasium, 69-59. Da'Kquan Davis posted a team-high 26 points and nine rebounds - including a 13-of-14 showing from the free throw line - to lead the Knights offensively while Steven Pendleton followed with 16 points and eight boards on the night.

Davis has now scored in double-figures in all eight of the Knights' games to open the 2019-20 season - averaging a team-leading 24.9 points per game - while Pendleton logged his seventh game in double-figures in the effort.

Adam Van Zelst - a 2010 Albright graduate and four-year guard for the Lions, ranking in the top-ten in the program's all-time assists leaders before joining the coaching staff as an assistant coach from 2010-18 - defeated his alma mater in his first-career MAC Commonwealth game as a head coach.

HOW IT HAPPENED
-The Knights fell behind in the early going of Wednesday's conference-opener, trailing by as much as eight in the first eight-plus minutes, but an ensuing 12-2 run capped off by a Kishan Patel three gave Arcadia its first lead of the night, 21-19, at the 7:12 mark of the first half. Jalen Watkins later added a pair of field goals to extend the lead to eight with under three minutes remaining.

-After the two sides traded field goals in the final two minutes of the first half, the Knights took a four-point lead into the break and would go on to lead the rest of the way. Albright got within one at the 17:45 mark of the second half, but a Jacob Walsh dunk in traffic sparked a 15-4 run to put the Knight up 12 with 11:58 remaining.

-The Lions battled back to cut the deficit to six with under five minutes in regulation, but an 8-0 run powered by six from Davis sent the Knights to their largest lead of the night at 14 with 93 seconds left on the clock, sending Arcadia to the MAC Commonwealth victory.

KNIGHT LEADERS
-Points: Davis 26, Pendleton 16
-Assists: Money 4, Derr/Davis 3
-Rebounds: Davis 9, Pendleton 8
-Blocks: Derr 2, Walsh
-Steals: Davis/Pendleton/Derr

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
-The Knights shot 47.2 percent (25-53) from the field, including an even 50 percent (13-26) mark in the second half.
-Arcadia held the Lions to just 33.3 percent (12-36) from the field in the second half.
-Arcadia's largest lead of the night was 14 with 2:05 remaining in regulation.
-The Knights shot an even 80 percent (16-20) from the free throw line, including an 87.5 percent (7-8) showing in the first half.

UP NEXT
Arcadia (5-3, 1-0 MAC Commonwealth) travels to Hood Saturday for a 3 p.m. conference matchup with the Blazers.