Men’s Hoops Playoff Hopes Dashed at Suffolk

BOSTON, MA-  Suffolk University dashed the Lasell College men's basketball teams hopes for a playoff berth after a 97-87 loss to the Rams on Thursday night in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action. 

Suffolk moves to 8-16 overall and 6-11 in the GNAC and waits in anticipation of reaching the post-season tournament. Lasell falls to 5-19 this season, 4-13 in the league, with one regular season contest left to play.

Junior forward Javon Williams (Mattapan, MA) put in a fine all-around performance with a contest-leading 35 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, and two steals.  Sophomore guard Sean Bertanza (Seymour, CT) added 24 points, five boards, and four assists and junior guard Richie King (Carver, MA) chipped in with nine points and four rebounds.

For the Rams, Matt Pepdjonovic (Quincy, MA) and Colin Halpin (Melrose, MA) had 25 and 23 points, respectively, while Justin Barall (East Hampton, CT) added 15 and Mike Fleming (Exeter, NH) reached double-figures with 10 points.  Pepdjonovic was also outstanding on the glass, ripping down 20 total rebounds, including nine offensive boards. 

The first half was an even battle across the board, each team shooting exactly 51.4% and collecting 20 rebounds as a team, leading up to a 45-all halftime score.

Heading into the second half of play, Suffolk put together a 9-2 run in the first two minutes giving them a 54-47 advantage.  After jumpers by Williams and Bertanza, the Rams lead was cut to just three at the 17 minute mark. Behind the combined efforts of Barall, Pepdjonovic, and Halpin the Rams charged forward on a 14-3 stretch through 13:35, which left Lasell in arrears 68-54.

Bertanza and Williams went on to score the next 32 of Lasell's 42 points to bring Lasell back within four points at the 8:15 mark after a traditional three-point play by Bertanza. Suffolk did damage control and used 25 combined points by Barall and Halpin to hold the Lasers off through the final stretch.

Lasell's second half numbers faltered a bit, shooting just 36.7% (11-30) from the field, while the Rams remained fairly steady at 47.5% (19-40).  Lasell did connect on 15-of-17 freebies in the half, and 5-of-12 three-point chances, while Suffolk hit on just 11-of-18 from the stripe and 3-10 from downtown.  Suffolk held a 45-38 advantage in rebounds in the contest.

Both teams wrap up the regular season on Saturday with GNAC action. Lasell will host Rivier College at 2:00 p.m., while Suffolk heads to Albertus Magnus for a 3:30 p.m.contest.