Newton, Mass.- The Lasers came back from a 15 point deficit to bring the game within three points, before the Hawks of Roger Williams went 4-4 from the line in the final seconds to take away a 62-55 win. Lasell's Shauna Kelly (Quincy, Mass.) kept the Lasers alive shooting an unbelievable 17-19 free throws, and totaling a game-best 27 points.
Both teams started out slow, the Hawks taking a six point advantage over six minutes before the Kelly and JoAnna Bishop (So. Burlington, VT) got the Lasers on the board with consecutive buckets. Over the next ten minutes, the Hawks went on an 18-5 stretch, culminating in Roger Williams taking their biggest lead at 24-9.
The Lasers broke their scoring drought at 4:20 with a pair of free throws by Kelly, who hit 7-7 in the first half, then brought the deficit down to ten points with a three point play followed by a Bishop jumper in the key. Roger Williams' Carly Spagnola (Millbrook, NY) laid in a final basket for the Hawks prior to the buzzer ending the half, at 31-19.
Second half opened with back to back field goals by Katie Farr (Rindge, NH) and Katie Schumitz (Milford, Conn.) for Lasell. Jackie Criss (Westwood, Mass.) hit the only three pointer of the contest to return the Hawks advantage to double digits for the final time, at 18:04.
The Lasers slowly chipped away at the lead, hanging out around an eight point disadvantage until the 8:00 minute mark. Kelly went 2 for 2 from the line, followed by Tricia Culver (N. Hampton, Mass.) dropping in points on a fast break, and another free throw by Farr to come back within three of the Hawks.
A close range jumper by Criss was answered by Culver as she penetrated the defense to lay in the Lasers final field goal of the game. Good layups by Paige Casey (Westwood, Mass.) and Spagnola off a steal gave the Hawks a seven point edge, but Bishop cut the lead to four off of 3-4 from the line.
In the final thirty seconds of the game, Jennifer Youngquist (Sandwich, Mass.) and Spagnola each hit a pair of free throws to close out the game, 62-55 in favor of the Hawks.
Kelly led both teams in scoring with 27 total points, while Roger Williams' Casey Anderson (Cohasset, Mass.) reached a double-double with 17 points and 11 boards. Sarah Mincey (Point Pleasant, NJ) had a game-high 12 rebounds to go along with 6 points for the Hawks, and Bishop finished with 9 points and 9 rebounds for Lasell.
The Lasers are back in action on Tuesday, November 25th, when they host M.I.T., at 7:00 p.m.