NEWTON, Mass. (11/18/14) – The Lasell College women's basketball team defeated the Wentworth Institute of Technology 58-55 in a Tuesday evening thriller. The Lasers earn their first win at 1-1, while the Leopards drop to 1-2.
Junior guard (Hollis, N.H.) Katie Stopera unleashed on the court with a game-high 25 points, draining five of eight three-point attempts. Sophomore guard Sherilyn Small (Springfield, Mass.) followed with 13 points, and junior forward Breeana Williams (Bloomfield, Conn.) earned a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Junior guard Rachael Camara (Fall River, Mass.) led the Leopards' offense with 16 points and eight rebounds, while junior forward Carly Rogers (Scarborough, Maine) carried double figures with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Both teams toggled back and forth between scoring opportunities throughout the game. Lasell opened the game with a quick five-point lead from a Williams' jump shot and a Stopera three-pointer. Junior guard Megan McLaughin (Southington, Conn.) scored an equalizer three-pointer, where the Leopards then went on a seven point run.
Stopera and Williams collected eight points in the following plays for the Lasers, but came up seven points short against the Leopards' offense. Rogers and Camara tallied seven points to put Wentworth up 25-23 at halftime.
At 11:57 Stopera made a three-point equalizer to put Lasell back in the game 33-33. Freshman guard Hayley Sabino (Topsfield, Mass.) made a jump shot to give the Leopards the edge, but was quickly answered by Stopera in the paint. Stopera struck again with another three and teamed up with freshman forward Brianna Smith (Somersworth, N.H.) at the line to pull the Lasers to a 42-37 lead.
The teams continued to battle on the court, going back and forth until the final buzzer. With three seconds left, McLaughin made a hopeful three-point shot to put the Leopards just one point behind. However, with one second left, Williams sunk two field goals at the line to confirm a 55-55 victory.
The Lasers will travel to Salem, Massachusetts to play in the Salem State Tournament against the University of Massachusetts Boston on Friday, November 21st at 7:30 p.m. The Leopards will travel to St. Joseph's (Conn.) on Saturday, November 22nd for a 1:00 p.m. tipoff.