Salem, Mass. – The Lasell women's basketball team fell to Salem State 72-46 in its first road test of the season on Thursday evening at Twohig Gymasium. The Lasers dip to 1-1, while the Vikings even out at 1-1 as well with the win.

For Salem State, Kia Fernandes (Wareham, Mass.) scored a game-high 20 points and Norma Waggett (Saugus, Mass.) added 18 points and six rebounds to lead the Vikings to victory. Fernandes got to work early in the contest as she led the Vikings on an 8-0 run to start the game, as she tallied six points during the stretch. Lasell relied on the outside shot to end the scoring drought as Madison Cota (Bellows Falls, VT) drained a mid-range jumper to cut the deficit to 8-2. Salem State also looked inside for points as they scored 10 of their 20 first quarter points in the paint while the Lasers had zero.

Lasell College attempted 15 three-pointers in the half and converted on three, all of which came from Morgan Church (New London, N.H.). The Vikings also earned the edge on the glass as they out-rebounded the Lasers 22-17. Salem State reached a 17-point lead with four-minutes remaining in the half after Kaitlyn Byran (Lowell, Mass.) finished a fast break layup that put the Vikings up 31-14.

The dominance continued for Salem State in the second half as they were able to hold their ground in the paint and on the boards. The home team scored 28 points in the paint while holding the Lasers to only six. The Vikings' defense also played at high level, forcing 20 turnovers, and converting 29 points.

Remaining faithful to their game plan, Lasell stuck to shooting the three-ball as they improved to 37.5 % (3-8) in the second half. Taylor Hughey (Redding, Calif.) added nine points off the Laser bench, shooting 3-6 from beyond the arc.

Byran contributed 12 points, eight rebounds, and three steals. Church led the way for the Lasers with 11 points and eight rebounds.

Lasell College will return home on Saturday as they host Lyndon State at 1:00 p.m., while the Vikings take on Colby-Sawyer in the Smith College Invitational Saturday afternoon at 4:00 p.m.

Release Courtesy of Salem State Sports Information