NEWTON, Mass. – Junior Stefan Masciarelli (Northbridge, Mass.) scored 24 points and sophomore Vic Collazo (Clearwater, Fla.) posted a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds Tuesday evening as Lasell College held off Suffolk University, 68-64, in non-conference men's basketball action at the Lasell Athletic Center.
The Lasers snapped a six-game losing skid and moved to 2-7 on the season, while Suffolk slid below the .500 mark at 3-4. Both teams are rivals in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) but the game was a non-conference affair.
Masciarelli and Collazzo were joined in double figures for Lasell by senior Joe O'Brien (Saugus, Mass.), who scored a season-high 12 points on his second straight game with three three-pointers, and sophomore Liam Jacobs (Plainfield, Conn.), who added 11 points off the bench.
Junior Thomas Duffy (Fairfield, Conn.) topped the visitors with 18 points, while senior Michael Hagopian (Watertown, Mass.) and sophomore Brendan Mulson (Albany, N.Y.) added 11 points apiece. Hagopian also became the 29th member of Suffolk's 1,000-point club on a first-half three-point basket.
The teams traded baskets early on until the Lasers pulled ahead by seven points (18-11) on a Jacobs bucket just under the 12-minute mark. The Rams kept within striking distance but a three-pointer by sophomore Tommy Beauchemin (Lincoln, R.I.) pushed the lead back up to eight (25-18) with seven minutes remaining. Lasell led by as many as 11 points before settling for a nine-point margin (39-30) at the break.
Suffolk came alive to start the second half, outscoring the home team 14-4 in the first seven minutes, including seven points from Duffy, to take a 44-43 lead. Lasell regained the advantage and held a one-point margin (50-49) with nine minutes remaining.
The Rams stayed within one possession, and were down just two points (59-57) with under two minutes on the clock before sophomore Dylan Murray (Williston, Fla.) hit a key layup for Lasell with a minute to go. The Lasers sealed the win when Masciarelli hit four free throws and Jacobs drained a pair from the line down the stretch.
The teams will meet again for a conference matchup on February 12 at Suffolk.
Lasell will look to build some momentum on Thursday with a non-conference game at Wheaton College (7:00 p.m.) Suffolk plays its third straight road game Wednesday at Lesley University (8:00 p.m.).
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