Lasers' Updates 12/16/2008
Women's Basketball
The Laser women had a tough week, falling to both Plymouth State University and Westfield State College, but did pull out a one point victory against Gordon College, giving them a 3-7 mark in their regular season games heading into the winter break.
Lasell started out strong against Plymouth State on Tuesday, entering the half with only a nine point deficit. The Lasers then cut the lead to only five with 16 minutes remaining in the second, but a late run by the Panthers, who shot 51%, gave them nearly a twenty point lead from which the Lasers could not recover.
On Thursday night, the lead changed hands six times in the first half of play against Gordon, and was tied three times before the Lasers pushed ahead 27-21 at the half. The Lasers held onto their lead in the second, but the Fighting Scots came back within one point with 69 seconds left to play. Though both teams had chances to score in the remaining time, neither did, and the Lasers claimed the 53-52 victory.
The final game before semester break pitted the Lasers against Westfield State on Saturday afternoon. The Owls controlled the tempo of the game from the start, heading into the first half break with a significant advantage. Once the second half came around, the Owls continued to push ahead, scoring on 48% of their shots, while Lasell struggled to find their shooting touch. The Owls ran away with a 78-37 win over the Lasers.
Tricia Culver (N. Hampton, Mass.) was a bright note for the Lasers this week scoring the game-high in both the Plymouth State and Westfield State games with 18 and 14 points respectively. Culver also picked up an additional 7 points against Gordon and totaled 14 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists, and 1 block over the week.
Shauna Kelly (Quincy, Mass.) was the high scorer for Lasell in the Gordon matchup, putting in 15 points, while also ripping down 7 boards, picking up three steals, and feeding her teammates for 4 assists. Kelly played the entire forty minutes of the contest. Over the course of the rest of the week, Kelly combined for 16 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists.
Another Laser who played consistently well over the course of the week was freshman forward Amanda Driscoll (Roslindale, Mass.). Driscoll had nine points and twelve rebounds between the three games, and also picked up two blocks during the Gordon contest.
Sophomore guard Katie Farr (Rindge, NH) went 6-9 against Gordon for 12 points and freshman guard Kelsey Converse (Laconia, NH) shot 3-4 overall and 2-2 from beyond the arc to add eight points.
JoAnna Bishop (S. Burlington, VT) picked up 15 points and 13 rebounds over the course of the week after returning from an injury and seeing limited time on the floor.
The Lasers return to action on Thursday, January 8th on their home court, against Western Connecticut State University. Game start time is at 7:00 p.m.
Men's Basketball
The Lasell men's basketball team went 2-1 this week, and 2-0 in conference play, as they remained undefeated in the GNAC for the first semester of play. The Lasers beat Norwich University 100-69 and St. Joseph's College (ME) 80-60 and moved up to the top spot in the GNAC standings heading into the break with a 3-0 record. Lasell dropped a non-conference match to Babson College on Thursday, 66-71, to bring their overall record to 5-4.
On Tuesday, the Norwich men's basketball team kept the game within reach in the first stanza, and even turned the lead in their favor once, but the Lasers regained control and headed into the break with a seven point edge. The Lasers put the game away in the second half, shooting 57% over the course of the contest, with Jose Guitian (Miami, FL) leading the way with 25 points, while also picking up 18 rebounds.
Thursday's contest against the Beavers started out in the Lasers advantage. Lasell went ahead early, as the Beavers shot only 8-24 in the period, which helped the Lasers retain their lead heading into the break up by three. The teams swapped roles in the second half though as the Beavers gnawed away at the Lasell lead then went up by as much as seven before Lasell came back. The Lasers brought the game within three points in the final minute, but could not close the game. Babson ended with a 71-66 win.
In Lasell's final contest in 2008, Guitian paced the Lasers with 29 points and 12 rebounds as they rallied in the second half for an 80-60 victory over the St. Joseph's College Monks. It was sloppy in the early going for the Lasers, who went down by nine with ten minutes remaining in the half. By the end of the first period, the Lasers had tied the game at 40. Lasell finished the game off in the second half, holding the Monks to only 20 second half points.
For the second consecutive week, Guitian (left) was award the Player of the Week honors from the GNAC. Guitian averaged 22 points and 12.67 rebounds in three games this week, while also collecting 4 blocks and 8 assists.
Brad Caravoulias (Dracut, Mass.) had 54 points this week. Caravoulias is currently averaging 15.4 points per game, has a .548 field goal percentage, and is shooting 49.2% from beyond the arc.
Kevin Richard (New Orleans, LA) keeps racking up the assists, collecting 17 in three games this week. Kevin Fallon (Manasquan, NJ) and Corey Godfrey (Cambridge, Mass.) continue their strong play for the Lasers as well. Fallon had 15 points against Norwich, while Godfrey went 6-6 from the field for 13 points against Norwich, and 5-6 from the field for 11 points against St. Joe's. Senior guard Junior Sainval (Miami, FL) and junior guard Charles Horton (Worcester, Mass.) also had 21 and 22 points correspondingly over the course of the week.
The Lasers will play their first three games after the break on the road, starting with a GNAC matchup at Albertus Magnus on Saturday, January 10th at 3:30 p.m. The Lasers return to their home court on Monday, January 19th, to take on the Mustangs of Mount Ida College, at 7:00 p.m.