NEWTON, Mass. (11/16/17) --  The Lasell College women's basketball team slipped past non-conference foe Lesley University 69-62 in their home opener Thursday evening.

Senior Morgan Church (New London, N.H.) set a new Lasell single-game record with 36 points, along with three assists, four rebounds, and three steals. Church's milestone performance surpassed the previous program record of 35 points in a single game, set by Tricia Culver in 2009 and tied by Katie Stopera in 2015.

The Lasers start the season 2-0, the first time they opened with back-to-back wins since the 2012-13 season where they defeated Wentworth and Daniel Webster.

Freshman Megan Sears (Westminster, Mass.) recorded the first two points in her collegiate career in the second quarter with 5:23 remaining to give the Lasers a 26-14 lead.

Lasell took a 36-28 lead into the locker room at halftime behind 19 points from Church in the opening 20 minutes while forcing 16 turnovers by the Lynx.

In the third quarter, Lesley took their first lead of the game with 2:25 remaining off a Karyn McEvoy (Quincy, Mass.) three-pointer, giving the Lynx a 43-40 lead.

The fourth quarter would see five lead changes between the Lasers and Lynx. Senior Theresa Pereira (Hopedale, Mass.) and junior Abby Henderson (Rochester, N.H.) both contributed 13 points for the Lynx.

Jaime Caron (Derry, N.H.) made a layup at 4:20 remaining in the third to regain the lead for the Lasers. Caron finished the game with 12 points on the evening, the only other player for the home team to reach double figures.

Dana Ross (East Haven, Conn.) was a force on the glass for the Lasers grabbing 13 rebounds to accompany her seven points in the victory.

Lesley outrebounded the Lasers 47-42 led by a 15 rebound performance from sophomore Dakota Jones (Torrance, Calif.)

Lasell returns to action on Tuesday, November 21st as they host Framingham State at 6:00p.m. The Lynx next take the court on Saturday, November 18th at Thomas College at 5:30p.m. as part of the Thomas Tip-Off Classic.