Newton, MA - The Lasell women's basketball team hosted the Blue of Wellesley College on Tuesday afternoon at the Athletic Center. 

The Lasers have had tight contests in each of their four games this year with a loss nor win greater than 5 points. This has proven to battle-test the Lasers as they continue to grow and develop under the high-pressure situations of clutch time games. In a shift from their previous 3 games where they were averaging 89 points per, a defensive battle ensued in a low-scoring 51-48 affair. There were many ties and lead changes in this one as no team led by more than 5 at any point. In such a tight battle each basket and possession swing is crucial. The Lasers kept finding ways to make winning plays as they outrebounded Wellesley 37-27 as well as 10-5 on the offensive glass. Laura Johnson was the clear leader in the rebound category for the game as she notched 14 boards on the night. In the points column, despite a low-scoring battle, 3 Lasers posted double digits: Kiara Cerruti (15), Shirle Major (10), and Juju Nealy (10) combining for 35 of the 51 Lasell points. Down the stretch, a Kiara Cerruti 3 gave the Lasers the lead back 49-48 in the final 2 minutes. With both teams trading a number of empty possessions, Juju Nealy went to the line with under 30 seconds left to give the Lasers a 3-point lead. Wellesley attempted to come back down to tie it up with a 3 of their own but the Lasell defense held firm as they came away with the narrow win. 

Up Next - Lasell goes up to Framingham State on Friday night in a game starting at 6 PM.