Williams, Bertanza, Harper Lead Lasell Men’s Hoops to Rally Past Emerson

Williams also contributed seven rebounds, three assists, and two steals to lead the way for the Lasers.  Harper hit 7-of-13 from the floor, which included 11 second half points, and coupled that with seven boards in a standout performance by the senior. Sophomore guard Jordan Fuller (Oviedo, FL) also hit double-figures in the scorers column with 11 total points.  

Emerson got a team-high 13 points from senior guard Tom Messinger (Florence, MA) while junior forward Dan Bisaccio (Bennington, VT) scored 10 points in 12 minutes off the bench for the Lions.  Kabir Moss (Chico, CA) and Bilali Kalilou-Mack (Windsor, CT) teamed up for 13 points while tearing down seven boards each in the defeat. 

The teams traded baskets over the course of the first three minutes making way for a six-all tie by 16:53.  Emerson went up by four on a three-pointer by Carlos Negrette (Mission Veijo, CA) at 14:32, but Lasell countered with a Fuller longball to close the gap to just one ten seconds later.  A foul away from the play gave Lasell the ball back and an ensuing jumper by Williams gave Lasell their first lead of the contest, 12-11, at 14:16.  

The lead changed hands three times over the following two minutes before Kalilou-Mack drained a three from the baseline to set in motion an 8-0 run for Emerson, capped by Messinger on a deep trey to bring the score to 21-14.  Lasell slowly chipped away at the lead, using a late 6-0 run over the last three minutes of the half to even the score at 27-all heading into the break. 

Messenger unleashed a three-ball 11 seconds into the final period to put the visitors back on top, 30-27.  After Lasell knotted the score up two additional times in the following three minutes, the Lasers reclaimed the lead, 38-37, getting three points from Bertanza on an out of bounds play, assisted by Richie King (Carver, MA). 

Lasell held onto the advantage for the next three minutes, but the Lions came back to level things off at 49-all with 12:11 left to play. Emerson proceeded to go on a 9-1 run to earn the largest margin of the game at 58-50.   Trailing by eight with 8:20 to go, the Lasers rallied for a 10-0 run with points by Harper, Bertanza and Fuller to tie the contest at 60-all with 6:10 remaining. Two freebies by Moss pulled the Lions back ahead just under the six minute mark, but a Bertanza jumper in the key gave Lasell back the advantage, their first in over 11 minutes, bringing the score to 64-63 at 3:04. 

Free throws down the stretch sealed the game for Lasell starting as Williams made it a two point game hitting the tail end of a double-bonus situation with 1:20 left to go.  Missed opportunities on Emerson's end and key back-to-back rebounds by Williams on both ends of the court allowed Lasell to use the clock to their advantage.  

With 20 second on the clock, Bertanza was sent to the charity stripe, knocking down both shots to put a four-point split between the teams.  Emerson closed the gap to two, 67-65, after a Laser foul sent Drew Ventner (Boston, MA) to the line with 13 seconds remaining. With a two point cushion and 9.6 seconds on the clock, Lasell's rookie guard Robert Roy (Dover, NH) was fouled and hit the second of the pair of freebies to ice the Lasers victory.  The Lions did not get a shot off in the final moments of the contest. 

Lasell produced 21 points off Emersons 19 turnovers in the contest while the Lasers gave up just four points on their 12 miscues.  Lasell also held the advantage in the paint, scoring 30 points to the Lions 20, and narrowly in shooting percentage, finishing on 43.1% of their attempts as opposed to Emerson's 40.4%.  The visitors did come away with a slight edge on the boards, 37-35, and were more consistent at the free throw line, shooting 70.8% to Lasell's 57.1%. 

Emerson returns to action with a 3:00 p.m. contest against Emmanuel College on Saturday, January 15th.  Lasell will face current GNAC leader St. Joseph's College of Maine (7-4, 4-1 GNAC) on the same date in the Athletic Center. Tip off is also slated for 3:00 p.m.