NEWTON, Mass. (12/13/14) – Lasell College defeated Gordon College in women's basketball action 57-44 Saturday afternoon in the Athletic Center Gym. The win ups the Lasers to 3-6, while the Fighting Scots fall to 2-7.
Junior guard Katie Stopera (Hollis, N.H.) earned a double-double for the Lasers with 18 points and 15 boards. Senior guard Justine Ryan (Norwood, Mass.) followed with 15 points, while freshman forward Breeana Cashman (Norwich N.Y.) chipped in with seven.
For Gordon, senior guard Brooke Kratche (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) poured in a game-high 19 points and seven rebounds, while freshman forward Sophie Linnell (Richmond, Va.) contributed with 10 points.
After four minute of scoreless play, junior forward Breeana Williams (Bloomfield, Conn.) knocked down a free throw to put the Lasers on the board. With 2:55 left in the half, Ryan drained back-to-back shots from downtown to pull the Lasers away with a six-point lead, 19-13. Junior forward Ashley Gleason (Suffield, Conn.) then dished the ball to Ryan to score the final hoop of the half.
In second stanza play, Lasell improved to 53.6% on 15-28 shooting. Freshman guard Morgan Church (New London, N.H.) gave the Lasers their largest game lead (23 points) at 12:51, to put the home team up 40-17. The Fighting Scots rallied to go on a 9-3 run with Kratche leading the offensive stint. Kratche made the last five plays of the game for Gordon, ending the score at 57-44.
The Fighting Scots shot 34.8% overall, while knocking down 60.0% of their shots from the line. The Lasers went 36.6% from the floor, 30.0% from downtown, and 81.8% from the FT line.
The Lasers will return to the court after their Holiday break on Tuesday, January 6th at Bates College with a 7:00 p.m. tip-off. The Fighting Scots will travel to Waltham, Mass. on Wednesday, December 31st to play Brandeis University at 1:00 p.m.