Salem, Mass. (11/22/14) - Lasell College fell to UMASS Boston 82-53 in Salem State Tournament action Friday night at Twohig Gymnasium.  The Lasers drop to 1-2 with the loss, while the Beacons earn their first win at 1-1. 

 Katie Stopera (Hollis, N.H.) led the Lasers' offensive with 26 points and six rebounds, while Breanna Cashman (Norwich, N.Y.) and Breeana Williams (Bloomdfield, Conn.) each tallied nine points.

UMass Boston controlled the tempo of the game immediately, as they started the game on a 7-0 run that allowed the Beacons to take a 22-8 lead with just under nine minutes remaining. During that run, Taje Burston (Springfield, MA) contributed with five points and added two assists. Stopera answered multiple times for the Lasers as she scored 16 points in the first half on 5-10 shooting. A Katrina Edwards (Springfield, MA) layup at the three-minute mark gave the Beacons their largest lead of the half (17) which allowed them to enter the second half with a 38-23 advantage.

 
Trailing by 17 early in the second half, Lasell managed to cut the deficit to 11, at 40-29 on a layup by Cashman. However, the Beacons quickly built the lead back to 22, following eight straight points by Kristen Morrison (North Reading, MA) to take commanding 64-42 lead with 8:24 left before settling for the 29-point win. 

Grace Geary (Falmouth, MA) contributed 16 points off the pine for UMass Boston as the Beacons bench outscored Lasell 28-3 in the second half.  Morrison finished with 14 points and nine rebounds for the Beacons, who controlled the glass by a 53-27 margin.

The Lasers will face Thomas College in the consolation game tomorrow at 1:00 PM, while the Beacons play host Salem State in the Women's Tip-Off Tournament Final at 3:00 PM.