Men's Basketball Facing Off with #15 Albertus Magnus in GNAC Semifinals

Newton, MA - The Lasell College men's basketball team is headed back to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference semifinals for the first time since the 2009-10 season, when they fell at Emerson College. In order for the Lasers to continue their quest for a berth in the GNAC Championship and a chance for an NCAA tournament appearance they will have to knock off top seeded Albertus Magnus. The Falcons are 25-1, and completed their GNAC conference schedule a perfect 18-0.

Albertus Magnus, winners of 20 straight games, have climbed to the highest national ranking in the program's history, 15^thin the latest D3 Hoops poll. The Falcons are led by forward Ray Askew, who is the leading rebounder in school history with 1,144 boards and ranks second the school history in scoring with 2,223 points. Askew and his 24.4ppg average is only part of the story for Albertus Magnus, as sophomore guard Darius Watson and junior guard Arshad Jackson are also averaging in double figures at 19.6 and 12.8 points per game respectively. The trio is the engine behind the Falcons' offense which is averaging 86.7 points, the ninth best mark in the nation.

The Lasers have won six of their last eight games, including an 80-73 win at home over Emmanuel College. Junior guard Sean Bertanza, a recent member of the 1,000 point club, leads Lasell in scoring at 19.7ppg while senior forward Javon Williams is second on the team with 18.3ppg while averaging a team best 7.4rpg. Williams, who is second on the Lasell all-time scoring list, is shooting an efficient 62% from the floor, the 12^th best mark in the nation.

When Albertus Magnus visited the Lasell Athletic Center on February 11^ththey narrowly avoided a blemish to their undefeated league record. Lasell built a 16 point lead with 14:37 left in the 2^nd half. The Falcons responded with a 19-0 run over the span of five and a half minutes, and pulled out the 76-73 victory. Lasell had two chances to tie the game on their final possession, but three point attempts by Bertanza and Nate DiSessa were off the mark. The three point margin was the closest any team has come to giving the Falcons their second loss of the year.

Ray Askew scored a career high 52 points in the February 11^thmeeting, going 16-33 from the field and 19-29 at the foul line. Javon Williams paced the Lasers, scoring 27 points on 10-16 shooting and pulling down nine rebounds. Sean Bertanza added 19 points for Lasell and Nate DiSessa chipped in with 10 markers.

The Lasers last road win against Albertus Magnus was in 2008-09, but Lasell has shown the ability to win on the road, going 7-5 away from Newton, Mass on the season. The Falcons meanwhile suffered their only loss of the year when Medgar Evers traveled to New Haven, Conn. and came away with a 95-93 victory back on December 6^th, 2011.