Newton, MA – The Lasell College women's basketball team used outstanding defense and rebounding to narrowly edge GNAC foe Anna Maria College, 55-53 on Saturday afternoon in Paxton, Mass. With the game tied at 53-53, Lasell junior Kim Archibald(Lewiston, ME) sank the go-ahead lay-up with 1:19 remaining in the contest. After an Anna Maria missed three pointer, and a pair of Lasell missed free throws, AMC had one final opportunity to even the score. Anna Maria's Samantha Ashton(Worcester, MA) had her driving lay-up blocked by Lasell freshmen Danielle Autencio(Montville, CT) who corralled the ball off her own block as time ran out. Lasell held Anna Maria to 29.5% shooting from the field on the day, and out rebounded the hosts by a 50-30 margin.
Archibald led the way for Lasell, posting a double-double effort scoring 14 points and pulling down 13 rebounds. Danielle Autencio scored nine points and pulled down a game high 15 rebounds, while Kayla Vincelette(Westport, MA) added 10 points off the bench. Chelsea Blair(Holland, MA) led a trio of AMC players in double figures with 14 points, as Liz Sama(Windsor, CT) and Samantha Ashton chipped in 11 and 10 points respectively.
Anna Maria jumped out to a 9-2 advantage in the opening three minutes of the contest, only to see Lasell battle back over the next seven minutes, eventually tying the game at 13-13 with ten minutes remaining in the opening half. The lead changed hands six times over the remainder of the opening half, with Anna Maria taking a two point lead into the break, courtesy of a Liz Sama lay-in right before the halftime horn.
The second half was tight the entire way, featuring three ties and three lead changes, and no team holding more than a five point advantage. Lasell held the biggest lead of the half, 47-42 with 7:45 remaining before a 7-2 run by Anna Maria tied the game at 49-49 with 5:15 remaining. A Chelsea Blair three point play with 2:36 left in the game tied the score at 53 all, and set the stage for the heroics by Archibald and Autencio.
The win improves Lasell to 3-15 overall and 3-5 in GNAC play, while Anna Maria falls to 5-14 on the year and 1-7 in GNAC contests. Lasell will return to action on Wednesday February 1st at 7pm, when they travel to Johnson and Wales, while Anna Maria will host Trinity University on Tuesday January 31st at 7pm.