Emerson Edges Women's Basketball 51-40

NEWTON, Mass. (12/10/16) -- Despite a pair of scorers in double digits, the Lasell College women's basketball team closed its fall semester schedule with a 51-40 defeat to non-conference opponent Emerson College on Saturday afternoon in the Athletic Center.

The Lasers will enter the 2017 calendar year with a 3-5 overall record after the loss, while the Lions use their fourth consecutive win to jump to 6-2.

Junior Morgan Church (New London, N.H.) led the Lasers with 12 points on three field goals and six free throws, her third double-digit scoring effort in the last four games. Sophomore Jaime Caron (Derry, N.H.) reached double figures for the first time this season, scoring ten points on 4-of-10 shooting.

Also for Lasell, freshman Dana Ross (East Haven, Conn.) led the team with nine rebounds, while junior Brianna Hoffman (Milford, N.H.) came off the bench to hand out four of the team's seven assists.

Sophomore Charlie Boyle (Scotts Valley, Calif.) was the lead scorer for Emerson, posting a game-high 16 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Junior Sierra Ducey (Poway, Calif.) added 12 points on 6-of-14 shooting, while her 11 rebounds and three assists tied for team bests with Boyle and junior Eastin Ashby (Pittston, Pa.), respectively.

Emerson scored the game's first six points and built a 10-4 lead through the first quarter before the hosts clawed their way back into the game. Junior Madison Cota (Bellow Falls, Vt.) closed the first quarter with a layup with 20 seconds remaining, then scored three of Lasell's first five points in the second frame.

Hoffman scored a 5-0 run by herself later in the second, bringing the Lasers within 18-14 with a three-pointer with 2:51 to play. The teams traded pairs baskets until Caron hit a layup with 33 seconds left in the half, cutting Emerson's lead to just two.

After Lasell held a 16-12 scoring advantage in the second quarter, Caron came out firing in the second half, matching Emerson's first three baskets with layups of her own. Church hit a pair of free throws to tie the game with 6:07 left in the third before Ross hit consecutive baskets to put Lasell ahead by four.

The Lions finished the third quarter with six straight points and then cruised to the win with a 17-8 edge in the final frame. After Church tied the game at 34-34 just 1:09 into the fourth, the visitors scored eight straight points to put the game out of reach.

Lasell does not return to action until Thursday, January 5 at 7:00 p.m. when it resumes Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play at Simmons College. Emerson faces a stiff test in its next contest as it makes a short trip to Medford to battle the No. 1 nationally-ranked Jumbos of Tufts University on Tuesday, December 13 at 7:00 p.m.