MBK: Lasers dominate the glass to pull even on the year

Newton, Mass. – Graduate student Kevin Vanderhorst (Lawrence, Mass.) had a double-double to lead the Lasell University Lasers men's basketball team over the Eastern Nazarene College Lions, 83-75, Tuesday at the Lasell Athletic Center.

Vanderhorst led the way with 21 points and 13 rebounds, seven of which came on the offensive end. He had an off night from the field making 5 of 15 shots but was great at the free throw line making 10-11. Senior EJ Day (Norwalk, Conn.) continued his strong start scoring 20 points for the third time early on.

Two more of the Lasers starters found themselves in double figures scoring, senior Kevin Nunez (Dorchester, Mass.) scored 17 points and added seven rebounds and five assists. Graduate student Jonathan Friberg (North Attleboro, Mass.) scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Off the bench freshman Conan McCusker (Dorchester, Mass.) scored 11 points off the bench.

The lions had even scoring across their starting five, sophomore Bernie McGuinness (Cumming, Ga.) led Eastern Nazarene with 13 points and pulled down seven rebounds. Both junior Levi Grady-White (Springfield, Mass.) and senior Corey McGhee (Alexandria, Va.) scored 12 points. Junior Nick Manso (Brick, N.J.) was the other Lion starter in double figures with 10 points.

Sophomore Deonta Pearson (Westland, Mich.) scored 11 points off the bench and graduate student Ozzy Traill III (Valley Stream, N.Y.) scored nine points but added five rebounds and seven assists.

The Lasers were dominant on the glass with 42-26 advantage and an even stronger showing on the offensive boards with a 16-4 edge in that category. 

The first half was a tightly concested affair for the first 12 minutes with neither team able to pull away. Neither team had a lead bigger than three until a barrage of Day three-pointers helped Lasell to a six to zero run over the span of 30 seconds. A layup down on the other end by sophomore Pat Taylor (Lakeland, Fla.) brought the Lasers lead back down to six but Day answered with a third straight from beyond the arc. Out of a timeout the Lasers made a stop on defense and pushed down the floor to find Vanderhosrst for an easy layup to push the lead to double figures.

With the lead still sitting at 11 with just over three minutes to go the Lions made their push. Manso knocked down a three to get the Lions started followed by a layup by McGuinness. A made jumpshot, a layup by Pearson and then two free throws by McGhee squared the game up at 30 after only two minutes of play. The Lasers got the lead back up to four before a fade-away buzzer-beating three by Manso finished the half with a one-point advantage to the Lasers.

The second half saw the teams trade buckets for much of the first ten minutes with the largest lead being seven points in favor of Lasell.

Eastern Nazarene refused to go away the whole game fighting back to get the game to one point with just under six minutes to go. Lasell pushed back and got the lead up to five with four minutes to go on a Friberg layup, only to have the Lions answer with a three by McGuinness. Less than a minute later the game was even with just over three to go following two free throws by Grady-White. McCusker nailed a three soon after to give Lasell the lead back and Grady-White made a layup to get the lead back to one, but that was as close as the Lions got the rest of the game. The Lasers got the lead eight thanks to an 8-0 run and the Lions could not claw their way back.

The Lasers will have a long break before their next matchup takes them on the road to face Wheaton College on November, 30. Tip-off of that game is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.