NEWTON, Mass. (1/10/17) – The Lasell women's basketball team outlasted the visiting Raiders of Rivier University, 62-54, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action Tuesday evening inside the Athletic Center. The win boosts the Lasers' overall record to 5-6 and 2-2 in the conference, while the Raiders drop to 3-8 and 1-3 in the GNAC.
With 1:45 left in regulation, junior Brianna Hoffman (Milford, N.H.) sunk a deep three-pointer to break a 54-all tie, where the Lasers held on for good until the clock expired.
Hoffman exploded off the bench and led all Lasers with 18 points and seven rebounds, while senior starter Morgan Church (New London, N.H.) recorded 15 points, highlighted by 12 from downtown.
The Raiders saw a game-high 21 points from senior Caitlyn Perry (Nashua, N.H.), who shot 8-for-17 from the floor, and 4-for-6 from three-point range. Perry nearly doubled her teammates in scoring, as Kaylee Kacavas (Dracut, Mass.) followed on 11 points, four assists, and seven boards.
The Lasers came back to secure a one-possession lead after the first quarter before Rivier's Megan Hamel (Colebrook, N.H.) made two shots at the line to knot the game 12-12. A 7-3 run steered by Hoffman stole the lead back for the home team, but Rivier scored the closing 7-of-9 points to regain the lead at half, 30-26.
Both teams stayed neck and neck for a majority of the third quarter, with Lasell leading 44-40 heading into the final 10 minutes of play. The Lasers netted two trios via sophomores Becca Fenton (East, Hartford, Conn.) and Taylor Hughey (Redding, Calif.) before Hoffman came in clutch with six closers, granting the home victory.
The Lasers shot 33.3% (20-of-60) from the floor and 20% (6-for-30) from three-point territory, while shooting a game-best 66.7% (16-of-24) from the free throw line. Respectively, the Raiders shot 40% from the floor, 14% from downtown, and 63.2% from the charity stripe.
The Lasers return to conference action on Thursday when they head across Boston to Emmanuel College for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off. The Raiders will take the court again on Saturday in Standish, Maine to face the Monks of Saint Joseph's at 1:00 p.m.