NEW LONDON, N.H. – The Lasell University men's basketball team dropped a tough 72-68 verdict at Colby-Sawyer College Saturday afternoon in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) contest at the Coffin Fieldhouse.

 The Lasers rallied from a 13-point second-half deficit to tie the game at 59-all with six minutes remaining. There were six lead changes down the stretch, with the Chargers pulling ahead for good, 70-68, with 30 seconds remaining. Lasell missed two potential game-tying shots and then turned the ball over with three seconds left as Colby-Sawyer secured the win.

Lasell drops to 8-13 overall and 5-2 in conference play, while Colby-Sawyer improves to 10-11 overall and 4-3 in the GNAC.

Lasell was paced by a 22-point effort from sophomore EJ Day (Norwalk, Conn.). He added eight rebounds and eight assists. Junior Kevin Vanderhorst (Lawrence, Mass.) posted a double-double of 18 points and 12 rebounds. Junior Kevin Nunez (Dorchester, Mass.) played all 40 minutes to finish with 14 points and seven rebounds.

Senior Dana Bean (Franklin, N.H.) led Colby-Sawyer with a double-double of 21 points and 11 rebounds. Senior Patrick Coffey (Westford, Mass.) added 19 points, while sophomore Terrence Harvey Jr. (Smyrna, Ga.) scored 13.

Colby-Sawyer led 36-32 at the half, but surged ahead after the break to its largest lead of the game, 59-46, with 12:07 on the clock. Lasell staged a strong comeback over the next six minutes, keeping the Chargers off the scoreboard while scoring 13 straight to deadlock the score. Junior Keith Poitier (Hartford, Conn.) and Nunez hit three-point shots for the Lasers in the rally, while Vanderhorst scored five points and junior Jonathan Friberg (North Attleboro, Mass.) also hit a bucket.

The teams traded baskets the rest of the way, and a layup by Coffey with 30 seconds remaining broke a 68-all tie and proved to be the game-winner.

The Lasers play at Albertus Magnus on Wednesday with a tip scheduled for 8 p.m. The Chargers will travel to Rivier on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. rematch with the Raiders; Colby-Sawyer defeated Rivier 83-59 in December.

(Contributions from Colby-Sawyer Sports Information)

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