NEWTON, Mass. – The leading scorer on the Lasell College women's basketball team was honored Monday by the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) for her performance in the first week of the second half of the season.

Junior Amanda Ortiz (Newton, Mass./Newton North) was named GNAC Women's Basketball Player of the Week. She was the leading scorer as the Lasers came from behind with a fourth-quarter rally to defeat the University of Maine Farmington, 61-54, to kick off the 2019 portion of the schedule.

A 5-8 guard, Ortiz tallied eight of her game-high 27 points in the fourth quarter to help spark the comeback. She connected on 10-of-22 shots from the field and 7-of-8 from the free throw line, and added seven rebounds, five steals, two assists and a blocked shot to her performance on the afternoon.

Ortiz leads the Lasers and ranks seventh in the GNAC in scoring with 17.1 points per game this season, and ranks third in the conference with 3.2 steals per game. She is the team leader with 4.4 rebounds per contest and field goal percentage with a 41.4 percent mark.

The Lasers, 5-7 overall, open the GNAC portion of the schedule this Tuesday, January 8, with a visit to Simmons University for a 7:00 p.m. tipoff. 

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