Arsenault Propels Men's Basketball Past Anna Maria 69-60

NEWTON, Mass. (2/14/15) – Behind freshman guard Scott Arsenault's (Walpole, Mass.) 50-percent shooting percentage from behind the arc, the Lasell College men's basketball team defeated Anna Maria College 69-60 in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action inside the Lasell College Athletic Center Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.

Arsenault netted a game-high 21 points for the Lasers on 7-for-14 from long range. Junior guard Richard O'Brien (Manchester, N.H.) added 12 points with all of his points coming from behind the arc as well. Senior guard Jeremy Daniel (Bridgeport, Conn.) chipped in with nine points and dished out a game-high 11 assists, while classmate forward Brock Walters (Jacksonville, Fla.) and junior forward Pat Marchand (Cranston, R.I.) scored 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Anna Maria was paced by senior forward Quantez Franklin (South Yarmouth, Mass.) and junior guard Patrick Bradenese (Billerica, Mass.) each poured in a team-high 20 points apiece.  Franklin pulled down nine boards in addition to his 20 points in the effort. Eight different AMCATS grabbed rebounds off the glass this afternoon including six from junior guard Tyler Delorey (Worcester, Mass.) and five from senior guard Michael Gorman (Methuen, Mass.).

Both teams traded baskets during the opening five minutes of the first half before O'Brien's three-pointer gave Lasell a 9-8 advantage at 13:58. Over the next 2:37 the Lasers went on a 9-0 run to take an 18-8 lead. The spurt featured layups from Daniel and freshman forward Dannie Moore (Orlando, Fla.), while O'Brien knocked down his second three-pointer and Moore sank a pair of free throws from the charity stripe.

After a full timeout from Anna Maria, the AMCATS went on a 10-0 run with 7:55 left to play in the opening stanza to cut their deficit to two points, 26-24. The rally was highlighted by five points from Bradenese, a jumper from Gorman, a layup from Franklin and was capped by a three-pointer from Delorey. Lasell added four points over the remaining minutes of the first half to take a 30-27 lead into the break.

Arsenault broke open the second stanza for Lasell with five straight three-pointers to extend the hosts' lead to 45-37 with 5:24 expired on the clock. Freshman forward Youseff Fodaile (Worcester, Mass.) snapped the run with a jumper at 14:21.

Lasell continued to pressure the visitors over the middle portion of the second half, as Walters and Arsenault paired up for the Lasers' next nine points (56-45). Walters hit two deep three's in between Arsenault's long range conversion.

The AMCATS wouldn't back down as the visitors pulled off nine straight points, finished with a pair of free throws by Bradenese to pull within two points (56-54) once again with 6:54 to play. This is as close as Anna Maria would get as Daniel and Marchand hit back-to-back layups to extend the hosts' lead to 60-54. Lasell ended the game on a 9-4 run as Marchand netted Lasell's final six points to close out Anna Maria, 69-60.

Lasell shot 48.1-percent (25-for-52) from the floor, 45.5-percent (15-for-33) from long range and 66.7-percent (4-for-6) from the charity stripe. Anna Maria shot 42.4-percent (25-for-59) from the field, 33.3-percent (4-for-12) from behind the arc and 54.-5-percent (6-for-11) from the free throw line.

The Lasers held a 13-10 advantage in second-chance points and an 11-9 margin in points from the bench. Anna Maria outrebounded Lasell 32-31 and outscored the hosts 21-14 in points off of turnovers.

Both teams continue their conference schedule's next Tuesday, February 17. Lasell (7-15, 6-9 GNAC) hosts Saint Joseph's (Me.) at 8:00 p.m., while Anna Maria (13-10, 11-5 GNAC) travels to Suffolk for a GNAC clash with tip-off slated for 7:30 p.m.