Men’s Basketball Drops 77-74 Decision to JWU in Double Overtime Thriller

Newton, Mass. (1/6/15) – The Lasell College men's basketball team fell to Johnson and Wales University 77-74 in a double overtime Great Northeast Athletic Conference battle Tuesday evening in the Athletic Center. The win boosts the Wildcats to 8-3 (3-1 GNAC) while the Lasers slip to 2-7 (1-3 GNAC).

Junior forward Pat Marchand (Cranston, R.I.) led all players with a double-double, scoring 25 points and 14 boards. Senior guard Angel Ortiz (East Lyme, Conn.) came off the bench to score 17 points, while freshman guard Jamontay Thompson (Apopka, Fla.) added 12 points.

Junior guard Tom Garrick (Seekonk, Mass.) poured in 21 points for the Wildcats, while junior guards Quarry Greenaway (Westchester, N.Y.) and Robert Lewis (Providence, R.I.) each added 15 points.

The Wildcats took control of the first half, outscoring the home team 41-22. Junior guard Rudy Brito (Providence, R.I.) made a three-point shot to initiate a 13-0 run, where the visitors took a 26-13 lead. A pair of three-pointers from Thompson put 20 on the board for the Lasers, followed by their final first stanza layup from Marchand.

The Lasers rallied in the second half of the game to outscore Johnson and Wales 37-18. Marchand unleashed on the court in the first five minutes to generate a 7-2 run, where Lasell took control of the half. With 11:05 remaining in regulation, Ortiz contributed six points from the free throw line to cut the deficit by eight points.

With 3:48 remaining on the clock, the Lasers jumped ahead of the Wildcats by one point after a layup by junior forward Logan Liberty (Duxbury, Vt.). Freshman guard Jarell Lawson (Providence, R.I.) sunk two shots at the line to give the Wildcats the 57-54 lead, but were anguished by a five point spurt from Ortiz. At the buzzer, Quarry scored the equalizer layup to head into overtime at 59 apiece.

Garrick, Lawson, and Lewis spit the scoring in the first overtime period for the Wildcats. A Lewis jumper set the visitors on top at 67-63, to score their final basket of the first overtime. Lasell senior guard Brock Walters (Jacksonville, Fla.) made a layup with 46 seconds remaining to trail the visitors by two, however, the score was again determined at the buzzer when senior guard Jeremy Daniel (Bridgeport, Conn.) sunk two at the line, evening the score at 67-67.

The Wildcats outscored the Lasers 10-7 in double overtime to clinch the 77-74 victory.

The Lasers shot 26-76 (34.2%) from the floor, while scoring 27.3% (6-22) of three-point shots and 84.2% (16-19) from the line. Johnson and Wales went 26-58 (44.8%) from the floor, while shooting 8-21 (38.1%) from downtown and 17-26 (65.4%) from the FT line.

Both teams jump back into GNAC action on Thursday, January 8^th at 7:00 p.m. Lasell will travel to Boston, Mass. to take on the Saints of Emmanuel College, while Johnson and Wales will host the Monks of Saint Joseph's, Me.