NEWTON, Mass. (1/19/17) -- The Lasell College women's basketball team dropped a 52-38 decision to Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) opponent Simmons College on Thursday night in the Athletic Center.
The Lasers fall to 5-10 on the season and 2-6 in GNAC play, while the visiting Sharks snap a two-game losing streak and improve to 5-7 on the season and 5-2 in conference games.
Juniors Brianna Hoffman (Milford, N.H.) and Morgan Church (New London, N.H.) paced the Lasers with 11 points apiece, while freshman Dana Ross (East Haven, Conn.) grabbed seven rebounds and sophomore Becca Fenton (East Hartford, Conn.) handed out four of Lasell's seven total assists.
Sophomore Francesca Corsinetti (Johnston, R.I.) and senior Jamie Zoldy (Watertown, Conn.) each posted 12 points to lead three Sharks in double figures. Senior Ashley McAdams (Freeport, N.Y.) posted ten rebounds and five assists.
The Sharks hit their first two shots of the game from three-point range while sophomore Taylor Hughey (Redding, Calif.) countered with one for the Lasers 1:09 into the opening half. Simmons built a 12-7 lead through the first quarter as it connected for four straight field goals before sophomore Liz Bougie (Sanford, Maine) hit a tough layup in the paint with seven seconds left to bring the hosts within five.
Lasell turned the score around before halftime, holding a 13-5 scoring edge in the second quarter while shooting 5-of-16 from the field. Church brought Lasell within two with a layup with 3:29 left before halftime, then Hughey hit a three less than a minute later to lift Lasell by a 16-15 score. The Lasers took a three-point lead into halftime as Hoffman scored four straight points.
The teams traded baskets in the first half of the third quarter, but Hoffman scored a three and a layup in quick succession to give Lasell a 30-28 lead. McAdams laid in the game-tying basket for the visitors with 68 seconds to play in the third before the Sharks shot 9-of-14 from the field in a 22-point fourth quarter.
Simmons opened the fourth on a 12-0 run that spanned more than six minutes before Fenton broke with a triple from the corner with 3:19 to play. Church finished the game with five consecutive points, scoring her lone three-point attempt of the game in the last ten seconds.
The Lasers return to action on Saturday, January 21 as they host the Wildcats of Johnson & Wales University in another GNAC contest at 1:00 p.m. The Sharks are also in conference action that day in Boston, hosting St. Joseph's College of Maine at 2:30 p.m.