Despite 43 from Williams, Lasers Fall in Battle with Wildcats

NEWTON, MA- Lasell College and Johnson & Wales University battled it out today in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball competition leading up to a 92-86 Wildcat victory on the back of a 47 point performance by NCAA Division III leading scorer Lamonte Thomas (Providence, RI).  Javon Williams (Mattapan, MA) tied Lasell's all-time record for points in a game, recording 43 in the league skirmish which left Lasell at 4-16 overall, and 3-10 in conference play.  Johnson & Wales ends the day at 13-6 overall, and 10-2 in the GNAC. 

The Lasers played catch up the whole contest long after falling behind early in the face of a furious charge by the Wildcats in the opening minutes. Four minutes into play, Johnson & Wales had not missed a beat, shooting a perfect 6-for-6 from beyond the arc, and 8-for-8 overall to take a 22-5 lead.  Darren Faust (Queens, NY), Thomas, and James Folk (Lawrence, MA), were responsible for draining two three-pointers each in the first three minutes alone to take a 20-5 edge by 16:40.  

After a Laser timeout at 15:35, the hosts put together a 7-0 run to bring the score to 22-12, but two at the line by Thomas bumped the Wildcats back to double Lasell's total points. A three point play by Louis Ferreras (Providence, RI) added to Johnson & Wales advantage, 27-12, at 12:30.

At the 12 minute mark, Lasell began to whittle away at the Wildcats edge, mounting a 14-4 stretch to make it a five point game by 7:19 (31-26).  In the final minute of that spell, Williams scored 10 straight points for Lasell, crowned with a dunk in transition.

Johnson & Wales regained a nine point lead on a Ferraras layup at 6:23 but an and-one by Williams on the opposite end of the court kept Lasell within six (35-29) with five minutes to play in the half. 

Three minutes later, the visitors had extended their lead to double-figures once more after the first of two freebies by Folk.  With 1:22 on the clock, Williams scored the last hoop of the half, powering his way through traffic to roll in two points.  The period ended with Johnson & Wales ahead 41-33. 

Ferraras and Thomas each donned 11 points at the break, while Faust and Folk had eight and seven respectively.  The Wildcats finished the period shooting 52% (15-29) from the field and 86 % (6-7) from the arc.  

Lasell was led by Williams with 15 points and eight boards and Sean Bertanza (Seymour, CT) with eight points.  The Lasers shot 45% (15-33) in the period but were held scoreless (0-5) from downtown.   Both teams shot just over 60% from the line in the period, having been sent to the stripe just seven times combined. 

Two minutes passed before either side connected with the net in the second period.  A Thomas three opened scoring to give the Wildcats a 44-33 edge. The Lasers hung in around an eight point deficit until at 11:31 when Johnson & Wales cruised for seven straight points to take a 14 point edge, 59-45.

Lasell answered with seven points collectively from Williams and Jordan Fuller (Oviedo, FL) through 9:48 but five points by Thomas made it a 12 point game (62-52) at 9:29, and another three by Faust advanced the Wildcats to a 15 point advantage with seven minutes to go. 

In the final two minutes, Lasell got as close as seven points away after two hits at the stripe by Richie King (Carver, MA) and a put-back by Williams made the score 81-74.  Thomas was sent to the line twice and hit all four shots for an 11 point lead with just over one minute to go, but a Williams long ball with 1:05 left kept Lasell in it.  Another Williams three after a Thomas layup inched Lasell even closer, 87-80, with 44.9 seconds left in regulation and then made it a five point game with another three-point play in the paint, with 22 ticks to go.

The Lasers continued to foul Johnson & Wales, sending Santino Cinotti (Rochester, NY) to the line for two.  A third consecutive Williams three ball made it a two bucket game, 90-86, with 13 seconds to play.  Mike Harris (Providence, RI) and Matt Williams (Mt. Kisco, NY) made one free throw each down the stretch for the visitors to bring about the 92-86 final score.

Williams' numbers were daunting, hitting 16-of-18 shots from the floor (88.8%), including 3-of-4 from three-point range (75%), and 8-of-10 (80%) from the line to reach the Lasell College record.  In addition, the junior forward also helped with 14 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and three steals.

Bertanza, Fuller, and King all scored in double-figures for the Lasers also.  King produced 14 points, Bertanza added 12 and Fuller notched 11.  Zachary Campbell (Cape Coral, FL) handed out a game-high seven assists, adding eight rebounds, three steals and two blocks. 

Thomas hit on 12-of-20 chances, including 4-of-7 from downtown, and a whopping 19-of-22 from the line in his outstanding 47 point showing.  The junior guard hit 36 of those points in the second half alone, while also picking up five helpers, four boards, and two steals.  

Johnson & Wales additionally received 15 points from Faust and 13 points, six assists, and six rebounds from Ferreras.  As a squad, the Wildcats knocked down 9-of-15 three's, good for 60% from the arc.

Lasell heads to Emerson College on Tuesday, February 8th for a 5:30 p.m. contest.