LASELL RALLIES FOR 77-67 WIN OVER EMMANUEL MEN’S BASKETBALL

BOSTON, Mass.- Lasell College erased an eight point second half deficit to power past host Emmanuel College, 77-67, Saturday afternoon in Great Northeast Athletic Conference men's basketball action at the Jean Yawkey Center. The Lasers improve to 4-2 overall on the year and 2-0 in GNAC play while the Saints drop to 1-5 overall and 0-3 in the conference.

Emmanuel led 50-42 with just over 14 minutes to play in the action before Lasell shifted gears to rally for the win. A key turning point in the game came with 12:35 on the clock on what led to a five-point swing in favor of the Lasers. During a scrum under the basket, a Saints player was called for a foul during positioning for a rebound on a three point attempt by Lasell sophomore guard Tim Blair (Newington, Conn.). EC was whistled for the foul, Blair's shot went in and counted, and then Emmanuel was whistled for a technical foul arguing the call. Senior Armin Omanovic (Wilkesboro, N.C.) drained both technical free throws to make it a one-point game at 50-49.

The Saints regrouped and regained an eight point lead following a triple by senior guard Julian Diggs (Centerville, Va.) to give the hosts a 58-50 cushion with 10:07 to play before an 8-0 run by the Lasers capped by a three from junior guard Scott Arsenault (Walpole, Mass.) locked the score at 58-58 with less than eight minutes to play.

The squad's traded buckets to a 64-64 score before senior forward John Powell (Ashland, Mass.) gave the Lasers the lead for good at 66-64 with a spin move in the post with 3:39 to play. EC had a chance to tie in on the next possession with two free throw attempted by sophomore guard Joe Tamburro (South Windsor, Conn.) but he only made one of two to cut the deficit to one at 66-65 and it was the closest the Saints would get as the Lasers closed out the final three minutes with an 11-2 run to ice the 77-67 GNAC win.

In the first half, Lasell College jumped out to an early 8-2 lead to open the action. The early lead didn't last long as Emmanuel College tied the game at eight on a steal and fast break bucket from Diggs with 14:29 remaining.  With the Lasers up 8-10, Scott Arsenault (Walpole, Mass.) knocked down two long range three pointers creating an eight point gap between the two sides. A three ball from freshman guard Emmett Riddick (Middletown, Conn.) made the score 19-21 with 7:21 left in the first. The teams continued to trade buckets until late into the half before a jumper by Tamburro gave the Saints a 28-27 lead, their first of the game. Lasell closed the half on an 8-4 spurt to take a 35-32 lead into the break.

Omanovic led all scorers with 22 points to go along with eight assists while Powell posted a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds. Senior forward Yordon Villalon (Miami, Fla.) and Arsenault each ended the afternoon in double figures with 14 and 13 points, respectively.

For the Saints, Tamburro posted a team-high 16 points while Diggs ended with 14 and six assists. Junior guard Colin Cordero (Bolton, Conn.) posted his first career double-double with 12 points and a career high 11 rebounds.

EC returns to action for its final game of the semester on Tuesday, Dec. 6 against MIT on the road while Lasell is back one day before, also playing MIT in Cambridge, Mass. Both tips are scheduled for 7:00 PM against the Engineers.