Newton, MA- Lasell women's basketball fought a hard battle with the Framingham State Rams but came up short, 57-52, in the final moments of tonight's non-conference matchup. Freshman forward Kim Archibald (Lewiston, ME) and sophomore guard Kelsey Converse (Laconia, NH) each scored 10 points for the Lasers in the defeat, while junior guard Brittany Jefferies (Gaffney, SC) gave a top performance with 11 rebounds, eight points, and five assists.
It was a close contest from the opening tip as neither team took more than an eight point lead at any point in the game, leading up to just a one point spread with 29 seconds remaining in the game. Lasell held a narrow 39-37 edge in rebounding but Framingham held a slight advantage in shooting percentage 40%-36% throughout the contest.
Framingham put up the initial points, holding a minimal lead for a short while before Lasell's Katie Farr (Rindge, NH) powered her way down low for the Lasers preliminary score. With seven minutes elapsed, Jefferies entered off the bench to begin her key showing by tying the game on a put-back in the paint. Lasell took their first lead just moments later as Jefferies fed senior forward Tricia Culver (Northampton, MA) who nailed a baseline jumper.
The Rams answered back with Kia Minor (Oaks Bluff, MA) cutting across the middle to convert a hook shot to tie the contest again. Lasell regained control, going on a 6-0 run over the following two minutes, but a trey by Jill Johnson (Mansfield, MA), combined with a relentless full court press swapped the momentum in the Rams favor and they took off on a 14-2 streak of their own, culminating in an eight point edge with 1:22 left in the half. At halftime, the score was 26-19 in favor of the visitors.
Lasell came back renewed and wasted no time answering Framingham's challenge. Converse converted on two three-pointers to close the gap to just one point in under the first minute of the second half. Over the following minutes, Farr penetrated through Framingham's defense and Archibald attacked the basket down low to try to regain control of the scoreboard, but it remained in the Ram's favor.
At the ten minute mark, Converse netted her third three-ball to tie the game at 41-all. At the five minute mark Archibald layed in a bucket to give Lasell their first lead of the half, at 48-47. The score continued to fluctuate over the final minutes as the opponent's swapped basket-for-basket until the game came to a head with 29 seconds to go as Jefferies hit a jumper to bring the Lasers within one point, at 53-52. Four free throw attempts in the final seconds gave Framingham the extra points as the game closed, at 57-52.
Minor finished with a game-best 15 points for the Rams and Emily Clark (Melrose, MA) added 11 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks for Framingham. Toya Chester (Leominster, MA) put in a fine performance for the Rams with 12 rebounds, six points, and five assists.
Farr ended the evening with nine points, four boards, three assists, and three steals. Culver helped out with six points, four rebounds, and four assists.
The Lasers are now 4-9 this season and will return to GNAC action on Monday, January 18th. Tip off time is 6:00 p.m. in the Lasell College Athletic Center.