NEWTON, Mass. – Graduate student Breanna Muir (Wareham, Mass.) hit two key baskets in the final two minutes Monday evening as Lasell College came from behind to defeat Plymouth State University, 53-52, in non-conference women's basketball action at the Lasell Athletic Center.

Plymouth State had a 52-49 lead with two minutes remaining until Muir hit a layup with 1:46 remaining, then after a steal by fellow graduate student Imani Bumpus (Dedham, Mass.), Muir put the Lasers in front with 1:09 to play.

Defense took over at that point, as Plymouth State and Lasell both had 30-second shot clock violations. The visitors had one last possession with six seconds remaining but couldn't get a shot off. Lasell handed Plymouth its first loss of the season (5-1) while the Lasers improve to 3-4.

Muir finished with 12 points and seven rebounds to lead Lasell, while senior Liz Bougie (Sanford, Maine) contributed nine points and seven boards. Senior Becca Fenton (East Hartford, Conn.) and juniors Dana Ross (East Haven, Conn.) and D'Asia Allen (Providence, R.I.) chipped in with six points apiece in the victory.

Senior Cassidy Emerson (Concord, N.H.) led all players with 18 points and 17 rebounds for Plymouth State, while classmate Jess Conant (Canton, Maine) added 16 points for the Panthers.

PSU had an early advantage, but Lasell came back to take a 14-12 lead after one quarter. The Lasers led by as much as 10 points (22-12) in the second quarter, and pushed the margin to 11 points (31-20) on a Bougie three-pointer with two minutes to go in the half. Lasell ended up with a 32-24 lead heading into the locker room.

The Panthers opened the second half with an 8-2 run but Lasell maintained the lead and held a 41-40 advantage after three quarters. PSU regained the lead on the first shot of the fourth quarter and pushed the margin to seven points (50-43) with five minutes to go. Muir led the Laser comeback, scoring 10 of her 12 points in the final quarter.

Lasell will be home again on Thursday, hosting Elms College at 6 p.m. at the Athletic Center. Plymouth State is back on action on Wednesday with its Little East Conference opener at Castleton University at 5:30 p.m.

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