LASERS SNEAK PAST SAINTS, 71-66

BOSTON, Mass. – Junior forward Pat Marchand (Cranston, R.I.) poured in 18 points off of 67% shooting to lead Lasell College to a 71-66 win over Emmanuel College in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball action played on Thursday night in the Jean Yawkey Center.  With the win, Lasell improves to 3-7 on the season and 2-3 in the conference, while the Saints drop to 4-7 overall and 2-3 in the GNAc with the loss.

A low start for both squads, the first field goal of the night was not scored until after the sixteen-minute mark.  Marchand broke the silence with a bucket down low for Lasell.  Emmanuel then answered on consecutive possessions, as Josh Bushman (Hurst, Texas) hit a jumper and Julien Diggs (Upper Marlboro, Md.) drained a three.

The stagnant shooting continued, as the two teams combined for just seven field goals over the first twelve minutes of action and the Saints and Lasers found themselves knotted at 9-all with 8:20 left to play in the half. Lasell's Jamontay Thompson (Apopka, Fla.) and Emmanuel's Kyle Davis (Groveland, Mass.) traded hoops in the paint at opposite ends and the game was tied again at 13-all with 5:25 remaining in the half.

The low-scoring first half ended with Davis scoring on a baseline drive for the Saints and Yordan Villalon (Miami, Fla.) netting a lay-up for Lasell, as the Lasers broke the seventh tie of the night and carried a slight one-point edge in the locker room at halftime, up 26-25.

Marchand led all scorers at the break with eight points for Lasell, while Diggs and Davis hit for seven first-half points apiece for Emmanuel.  The Lasers forced the Saints into just 33.3% (10-30) field goal shooting in the first half, while Lasell shot 42.3% (11-26) from the floor.

The Lasers went on a 14-5 run coming out of the break, with Lasell draining a pair of hoops from behind the arc and opening up a double-figure lead at 40-30.  The Saints then began to chip away, rattling off a 14-5 run of their own and Emmanuel trailed 45-44 with 11 minutes left to play.

Sophomore guard Kyle Smith (Los Angeles, Calif.) and freshman guard Colin Cordero (Bolton, Conn.) stuck triples on consecutive possessions to swing the lead back to the Saints.  Senior guard Jeremy Daniel (Bridgeport, Conn.) answered with a three for the Lasers and the game was knotted again at 51-all and just over nine minutes remaining.

Thompson found Marchand open down low for Lasell and Smith hit a free throw for the Saints, forcing a full timeout with the Saints trailing 57-55 and four minutes to go.  Brock Walters (Jacksonville, Fla.) dialed in from the left wing to put the Lasers up five, before John Clay (Westport, Mass.) answered from deep on EC's ensuing possession to set the score at 60-58 with 3:10 left.

A Marchand hoop then capped a quick 4-0 run, which put the visitors up 64-58 and Emmanuel signaled for a full timeout with 1:45 showing on the clock.  Davis quickly connected on a reverse lay-up and Smith was good on a pair from the free throw line for the Saints, as EC cut their deficit to 64-62 with 1:18 to go.

Following a Laser timeout, Emmanuel's tough defense forced a Lasell turnover, but the Saints couldn't connect on the other end and picked up a foul on the offensive glass.  Marchand hit one of two from the line and Smith scored quickly on the break for the Saints.  Angel Ortiz (East Lyme, Conn.) then hit two freebies for the Lasers and Diggs followed with a transition lay-up for the Saints, setting the score at 67-66, as the Saints struggled to overcome that one-point deficit.  A foul in the back-court by Emmanuel sent Ortiz back to the line and the senior guard sank both to put his team up 69-66 with just 17 seconds left.

The Saints were unsuccessful on their long-range try and Thompson hit both of his foul shots at the opposite end to seal the 71-66 win for Lasell.  Despite several quick Emmanuel transition buckets, Lasell went 7 for 8 from the line down the stretch to pull out the victory.

Marchand's 18 points came off of 8-12 field goal shooting. He also hauled in a game-high nine rebounds and blocked three shots.  Walters and Villalon combined for 26 points and 13 rebounds off the bench, going 5-8 from behind the arc.  Thompson added 11 points and four assists in the win for the Lasers.

Emmanuel was led by Smith's 18 points and four assists, tying Marchand for game-high honors.  Davis finished with 14 points and eight rebounds, while Aidan Hadley (Owls Head, Maine) led the hosts on the glass with nine boards.

Both teams are back in GNAC action this weekend.  Emmanuel will host Anna Maria College at 1:00 PM, while Lasell hosts Rivier University in a 3:00 PM tip.