Women's Basketball: Lasers cruise to 65-40 triumph at Dean Friday night

FRANKLIN, Mass. - The Lasell University women's basketball team utilized a balanced attack Friday evening, as four Lasers scored in double figures during a 65-40 triumph at Great Northeast Athletic Conference-rival Dean.

The Lasers (7-8, 5-4 GNAC) won every quarter and recorded 27 steals, tied for the fifth most in a single game in program history. Lasell's defense forced the Bulldogs (2-8, 0-6 GNAC) into 35 turnovers. 

"We did a great job of staying on the same page offensively and defensively," said Lasell University Women's Basketball Head Coach Kelley Sundberg. "That was a big key for us to come out with a win."

Senior forward Meg Carroll led the charge with a game-high 14 points for the visitors, to go along with a team-leading eight rebounds. Freshman guard Juju Nealy tallied 12 points, including going 2 of 4 on 3-point shots.

"These past few weeks have been a mental and physical battle for all of us," said Carroll. "Having three conference games back to back was definitely not ideal, but I am glad we could get a nice team win under our belt to end the week. We are starting to get deeper into conference play and these are the kind of games we need to capitalize on. We definitely did that tonight."

Freshman guard Jasmine DePina finished with 12 points, seven boards and a career-high six steals. She was efficient from the field, going 5 of 7 and also pulled down six offensive rebounds. Graduate student Peyton Young gave the unit 20 excellent minutes off the bench, registering a season-high 11 points, four rebounds and three steals.

Tori Andrewski led the way for Dean, compiling a team-best 13 points and game-high 15 rebounds.

Carroll corralled an offensive rebound and finished a layup with 7:25 left in the first quarter, giving Lasell a 6-3 advantage. A layup by junior guard Sheridan Blaha ended a 6-0 run and gave the visitors a 20-11 cushion with 52 seconds remaining in the first. Carroll set the tone early for the Lasers, scoring 10 first-quarter points.

Lasell won the second quarter, 8-7, and extended its lead to double figures at 25-15 on a layup by Nealy with 8:51 on the clock. The Lasers took a 29-20 advantage into halftime.

The Lasers scored the first nine points of the third, taking a 38-20 advantage on back-to-back free throws by Nealy 2:07 into the quarter. A three-ball by Nealy with 20 seconds on the scoreboard sent Lasell into the fourth with a 46-30 cushion.

The Lasers won the final quarter, 19-10, as Young tallied five points and three rebounds. She shot 2 of 3 from the field and 1 of 1 on treys. Lasell started the fourth with a 15-4 surge, as a 3-point by Young pushed the lead up to 61-34 with 2:55 left in regulation.

Senior guard Brooke Damboise finished with seven points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals for the Lasers. Lasell held a 28-3 advantage in points off turnovers and a 20-0 lead in fast-break points. The visitors led bench points, 20-7, and second-chance points, 21-11.

The Lasers will take on GNAC-foe Albertus Magnus Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in New Haven, Connecticut.

Director of Athletic Communications Trevor Wenners can be reached at twenners@lasell.edu.

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