MBB: Lasell comes up short against Albertus Magnus

NEWTON, Mass. – Freshmen Davon Warner (New Haven, Conn.) and Andrew Rice (West Haven, Conn.) combined to score 10 unanswered points late in the second half Saturday afternoon as Albertus Magnus College came from behind to defeat Lasell College, 98-93, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball action at the Lasell Athletic Center.

Warner hit a pair of three-pointers and Rice added two baskets to turn an 88-84 Lasell lead with 4:35 remaining into a 94-88 Albertus advantage with two minutes to play. The teams exchanged two free throws in the final minute before the Falcons tacked on two more freebies with 11 seconds remaining. Lasell hit a three-pointer at the buzzer for the 98-93 final.

Albertus won its fourth game in a row to improve to 15-7 overall and 7-2 in the GNAC, while Lasell dropped to 6-17 overall and 4-5 in the conference. The Falcons are in a three-way tie for second place in the GNAC, while the Lasers are in a three-way deadlock for seventh place.

Sophomore Tyreek Perkins (New Haven, Conn.) led the Falcons with 19 points, while Warner finished with 17, junior Damian Grant (Waterbury, Conn.) added 16 and junior Jahmerikah Green-Younger (Norwalk, Conn.) chipped in with 14.

Junior Stefan Masciarelli (Northbridge, Mass.) and sophomore Dylan Murray (Williston, Fla.) combined for 54 points for the Lasers; Masciarelli was 7-for-15 from the floor and 14-for-14 from the free throw line for 28 points and Murray was 8-of-9 from the field, including 7-of-8 from three-point range, finishing with 26 points. Sophomore Liam Jacobs (Plainfield, Conn.) added 14 points off the bench and classmate Kevin Nunez (Dorchester, Mass.) contributed 11 points.

Lasell honored its four seniors prior to the Senior Day game, recognizing Joe O'Brien (Saugus, Mass.), Lamont Gooden (Orlando, Fla.), Sam White (Poultney, Vt.) and George Foti (Oneonta, N.Y.).

The visitors had the early lead, starting the game with a 13-4 lead and maintaining the advantage until Lasell tied it up at 23-all eight minutes in. The teams traded baskets the rest of the half with the hosts taking a 50-46 lead into the locker room.

Lasell maintained the lead in the second half, building an eight-point margin (66-58) after a Masciarelli bucket with 14 minutes to play. Albertus stayed within striking distance, and tied the game at 76-all on a Warner three-pointer with eight minutes to go. The Lasers went back ahead and held the lead until the Falcons' rally in the last four minutes.

The Lasers will wrap up the regular season with a pair of GNAC road games, Tuesday, February 12, at league-leading Suffolk University (7 p.m.) and Saturday, February 16, at Anna Maria College (1 p.m.) Albertus returns home for its final two, hosting Johnson & Wales University Tuesday (8 p.m.) and Suffolk on Saturday (3 p.m.).

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