Lasers Down Judges in Men’s Basketball Thriller 64-60

NEWTON, Mass. (11/22/14) – Lasell College defeated Brandeis University 64-60 in non-conference men's basketball action Tuesday evening in the Athletic Center Gym. The Lasers earn their first win at 1-3, while the Judges remain winless at 0-3.

Junior forward Pat Marchand (Cranston, R.I.) led the offense for Lasell, contributing a double-double with 14 points and ten boards. Junior guard Anthony Simmons (Stamford, Conn.) teamed up with junior guard Richard O'Brien (Manchester, N.H.) for 13 points each, while sophomore guard Angel Ortiz (East Lyme, Conn.) followed with eight points.

Freshman forward Jordan Cooper (Weston, Fla.) poured in a game-high 18 points on 7-13 shooting for the Judges. Junior guard Colby Smith (No. Andover, Mass.) and sophomore forward Samuel Dowden (Andover, Mass.) chipped in with nine points apiece, while sophomore center John Powell (Ashland, Mass.) and freshman guard Nate Meehan (Lowell, Mass.) each tallied seven.

The teams alternated possession for the majority of the first half, excluding a freshman Carlin Haymon (Boston, Mass.) layup to give the Judges their only five-point lead at 16:52. Marchand avenged the deficit with a layup from senior guard Mike Vallone (Wallingford, Conn.), where the Lasers held onto the lead until 9:23. Powell scored the equalizer basket for the Judges, redressing the score to 19 apiece.

The two teams battled back and forth until there was 58 seconds left on the clock, where O'Brien put away a basket from Marchand. Cooper responded to a Brock Walters (Jacksonville, Fla.) three-pointer to tie the game at 30, but Marchand secured the lead at half, 32-30.

Lasell shot 40.6% on the court in the first half, holding Brandeis to 35.7% on 10-28 shooting. The Judges went 6-7 at the line, shooting 85.7%.

The Lasers controlled the tempo of the second half, never allowing the Judges to take the lead. Powell knocked down a free throw at 13:08 to even the score at 41 followed by a Cooper jumper, where Lasell took the game for their own. With 6:15 left in regulation, O'Brien knocked down a three-point shot to give Lasell their largest lead of eight points (56-48).

Meehan capitalized off an offensive rebound to trail the Lasers by two points with nine seconds left to go, but a pair of Ortiz free throws secured the 64-60 victory.

The Lasers shot 44.6% on the night, a season best, and scored nine second chance points off 12 turnovers. The Judges shot 41.2% from the floor, scoring 13 points off 11 turnovers.

Both teams will return to action on Tuesday, December 2^nd. The Lasers will travel to Saint Joseph's (Me.) for a 7:00 PM tipoff, while the Judges play at Becker College at 5:30 PM.

The Lasell College Athletic Department wishes all a happy and safe Thanksgiving.