O'Brien Drops 25 Points in GNAC Triumph Over Norwich

NEWTON, Mass. (1/29/15) – The Lasell College men's basketball team defeated Norwich University 71-58 in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action inside the Lasell College Athletic Center Gymnasium on Thursday evening.

The Lasers were paced by junior guard Richard O'Brien (Manchester, N.H.) with a career-high 25 points on 8-for-11 shooting from the field, 4-for-5 from long range and 5-for-6 from the free-throw stripe. O'Brien also contributed with four assists, three boards and one steal. Classmate forward Logan Liberty (Duxbury, Vt.) chipped in with his first double-double of the season with 12 points and a game-high 11 assists. Freshman guard Scott Arsenault (Walpole, Mass.) added nine points, while each added seven points to the effort.

Freshman center Mike Hogervorst (Peoria, Ariz.) led the Cadets with a team-high 13 points and added four boards, while senior forward Evan Tullar (Chelsea, Vt.), sophomore forward Kevin Ross (Ontario, Calif.) and classmate center Josh Evans (Grafton, Mass.) each netted eight points apiece. Tullar also pulled down a team-high six rebounds and dished out three assists in his 38 minutes of action.

Both teams traded points over the opening minutes of play, but the Lasers sprinted out for a 12-6 run over the next 7:03 to take a 20-10 advantage. The spurt featured four points from Liberty and O'Brien, as well as a three-pointer from Arsenault. Junior guard Jimmy Warden (North Andover, Mass.) ended the run with a pair of free-throws to make the score 20-12 with 7:28 remaining in the half. Lasell didn't give up as the Lasers answered with a 13-8 run to close the opening stanza. The final seven minutes of the first half featured two deep three-pointers from senior guard Brock Walters (Jacksonville, Fla.) and O'Brien, while junior guard Anthony Simmons (Stamford, Conn.) added four points.

In the second half, Norwich was able to cut the Lasers' lead to ten points on three occasions. The first time came 3:15 into the second stanza when Hogervorst sank a free-throw following a layup and a foul (37-27). The second attempt came two minutes later when Hogervorst converted a layup to make the score 44-34 in favor of the hosts. The final effort came with 12:29 remaining in the contest after back-to-back three pointers from freshman guard Ryan Booth (Northfield, Vt.). This is as close as the Cadets would get as the Lasers closed out the game 71-58 to pick up their fourth conference victory of the season.

Lasell shot 43.4-percent (23-for-53) from the field, 33.3-percent (4-for-12) from long range and 66.7-percent (8-for-12) from the free throw line. Norwich shot 55.1-percent (27-for-49) from the field, 47.4-percent (9-for-19) from three-point territory and 66.7-percent (8-for-12) from the charity stripe. Lasell held a 30-26 margin in rebounds and a 9-4 differential in points off of turnovers. Norwich maintained a 27-23 margin in points from the bench.

Both teams return to conference action on Saturday, January 31^st at 3:00 p.m. Lasell (5-11, 4-6 GNAC) will host the Saints of Emmanuel College, while Norwich (6-11, 3-8 GNAC) will travel to Albertus Magnus College to take on the top-ranked Falcons.