DUDLEY, Mass. – Nichols College went on an 18-4 run midway through the second half Saturday afternoon and pulled away to an 88-73 victory over Lasell College in non-conference men's basketball action at the Nichols Athletic Center.
Lasell falls to 1-3 on the young season while the Bison jump to 2-0.
Junior Stefan Masciarelli (Northbridge, Mass.) had a game-high 27 points for the Lasers to accompany a team-high five assists. Sophomore Dylan Murray (Williston, Fla) added 13 points and classmate Vic Collazo (Clearwater, Fla.) chipped in with 12 points and eight rebounds.
Nichols had five players with double-digit scoring, led by sophomore Matt Morrow (Leicester, Mass.) with 21 points and 10 assists. DeAnte Bruton (New London, Conn.) and Jerome Cunningham (Westbury, N.Y.) had 17 and 16 points, respectively.
Lasell fell behind early and trailed by 19 points with 10:33 remaining in the first half. The Lasers clawed their way back into the match-up, as Murray knocked down a three-pointer that ignited the Lasers offense. Lasell scorer on seven of its next 10 possessions, while making six stops defensively on the other end. The Bison maintained a 42-34 lead over the Lasers heading into the break.
The Lasers would twice cut their deficit to within five points in the second half. Three-pointers from Murray and sophomore Liam Jacobs (Plainfield, Conn.) cut the deficit to 44-40 just two minutes into the second stanza. Lasell would once again pull close to tying Nichols, cutting it to 55-50 in second on a three-pointer by senior Lamont Gooden (Orlando, Fla.) with 12:33 remaining.
Morrow snuck a lay-up past the Lasers defense that sparked an 11-point run with nine minutes to play to take a 73-54 advantage. The Bison continued their commanding lead, growing to the largest of the afternoon with 2:41 remaining in the second, as Nichols held a 82-62 advantage.
Lasell has a quick turnaround as the Lasers travel to Brandeis University on Monday at 7:00 p.m. Nichols returns to the floor Tuesday as it hosts Wesleyan (Conn.) at 7:00 p.m.
-- 30 --