Emerson Prevails in GNAC Showdown

Newton, MA- In an intense, action packed Great Northeast Athletic Conference men's basketball showdown, the Emerson College Lions prevailed, 80-70, over the Lasell College Lasers, Thursday night at the Lasell College Athletic Center.  Bryan Rouse (East Greenwich, RI) led the Lions to their 15th season victory with 35 points, while Javon Williams (Mattapan, MA) put up 25 points and tore down 11 rebounds for the Lasers in the defeat. 

The first half was a back-and-forth affair which included nine ties and eight lead changes.  Lasell opened the game with a 2-0 advantage on a Williams lay-in, but Rouse answered with a bucket of his own down low to tie the score.  The teams traded baskets for over four minutes before Alex Dempsey (Anchorage, AK) made an and-one play to give the Lions their first lead of the game, 9-8, with 15:57 on the clock.  In the following possession, Lasell's Aaron Bray (Boston, MA) penetrated to the hoop, drawing the foul and making both free throws to regain control of the board.  Back-to-back three-pointers by Bray and Dominik Orlow (Slupsk, Poland) put Lasell ahead 16-11 at the 12:45 mark, but the Lions came back to tie it up at 16-all after freebies by Rouse with ten minutes left In the half.  

Lasell regained control of the scoreboard until the 6:17 mark when a trey by Emerson's Dan Boylan (Royal Oak, MI) put the visitors ahead 24-23. The Lions pulled ahead by six, 36-30, the largest lead of the half by either team, with five consecutive points by key reserve Drew Venter (Boston, MA) with two minutes left before the break.  The Lasers went on a 8-1 run, which included three-pointers by Orlow and Adam Topel (Boca Raton, FL), to close the half with a one point advantage, 38-37.

Williams opened the second half with another bucket in the paint.   Rouse returned the favor on the opposite end of the court to hold the Lasers to just a one point edge, and his second layup of the half knotted the score once more at 43-all. After three more ties, Bray penetrated through traffic to sink a bucket, giving Lasell a 51-49 lead, at 13:18.  Kabir Moss (Chico, CA) drained a three to put Emerson ahead, and the Lions used the momentum to carry them on a 9-0 run, pulling away from the Lasers, 59-51.  At the five minute mark, the Lions held a double-figure edge, 67-56.  Lasell cut their deficit to just six points after Topel nailed another shot from beyond the arc, but that was as close as Lasell would get over the final four minutes.  Emerson hit 9-of-11 free throws in the final minutes to take as much as a 13 point lead before the final buzzer sounded. 

Venter contributed 11 points and six boards to the Lions and Jeremy Shannon (Lowell, MA) added seven points, five rebounds, and five assists.  Emerson shot 50% over the course of the contest (27-for-54), including a 54.2% second half field goal percentage.  

Bray and Topel each notched 11 points for the Lasers in the defeat.  Bray added three assists and two steals.   Orlow and Justin Harris (New Orleans, LA) matched for eight points a piece.  Lasell shot 53.6% in the first, but just 37.8% in the second, and finished with a 44.6% field goal average.  

Emerson is now 15-7 overall and 12-3 in GNAC play, while Lasell falls to 8-14 overall and 6-9 in the conference.  The Lasers return to action on Saturday, February 13th against St. Joseph's College of Maine for another conference rivalry.  The contest will be played on the Lasers home court at 2:00 p.m. and will mark the senior day for Lasell's two senior athletes, Sean Joynes (Philadephia, PA) and Charles Horton (Detriot, MI).