MBK: Lasers suffer first conference defeat at the hands of Norwich

Northfield, Vt. – The Lasell University Lasers men's basketball team fell in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference matchup with the Norwich University Cadets, 72-57, Saturday at Andrews Hall Gymnasium.

Senior EJ Day (Norwalk, Conn.) led the Lasers with 17 points, and senior Kevin Nunez (Dorchester, Mass.) added 14 points. Graduate Student Kevin Vanderhorst (Lawrence, Mass.) tallied a double double scoring 11 points and bringing down 13 rebounds.

Senior Donovan Lewis Jr. (Savannah, Ga.) and sophomore Jalen Olivero (Holyoke, Mass.) led the Cadets with 12 points each. Olivero also added eight rebounds and seven assists. Junior Jaydon Cousin (Savannah, Ga.) scored 11 points off the bench while adding eight rebounds and freshman Kohlby Murray (Fair Haven, Vt.) scored 10 points off the bench.

The Lasers came out the game hot, making their first five shots and scoring 11 of the first 13 points. The Cadets clawed back, getting the lead down to two after making their next three shots. Day answered back scoring four straight points to get the Laser lead back to six with six and a half minutes gone in the first half. From that point Norwich went on a 12-0 run over the next five minutes to take the lead and go up 21-15 with nine minutes remaining. Lasell got the lead down to two points on a Nunez jumper with 2:47 left to go but that was a close as the Lasers got the during the final nine minutes as Lewis Jr. scored the last four points for the Cadets to hold a four-point lead at halftime.

The three pointers were flowing early for both teams coming out of halftime with the first three baskets being from behind the arc. It started with a three from senior Kyle Booth (Northfield, Vt.) to push the Cadet lead to seven but was quickly closed down to one on back to back threes from freshman Karim Belhouchet (Newton, Mass.) and Day. The Lasers refused to let the Cadets pull away keeping the game within five points for 13 minutes of the second half. The Cadets started to pull away over the next two minutes, scoring eight of the next ten points to open their lead to nine. Following a three pointer by freshman Owen Liss (West Suffield, Conn.) to push the Cadet lead to double figures Day answered scoring making two baskets to get the lead down to seven with 1:58 to go. The Cadets closed the door the rest of the way, holding Lasell scoreless the final 1:58 and scoring the final eight point to win 72-57.

The key to the Cadet victory was in their strong shooting at 46.2 percent from the field (30-65) and their points off turnovers. The Cadets doubled Lasell in points off turnovers 24 to 12. Lasell struggled from behind the arc only making two of the 22 attempts.

The Lasers will be back in action on Wednesday, January 12, when they play host to Albertus Magnus College. The GNAC clash will tip-off at 7:30 p.m.