Newton, MA-The Albertus Magnus Falcons picked up a victory late in the second half of tonight's Great Northeast Athletic Conference men's basketball contest, defeating the Lasell College Lasers, 85-75.
The Lasers held a one point halftime lead, at 33-32, and a 39-35 rebounding advantage though the contest, but the Falcons were on fire in the second half, shooting over 60% in the period, and 55% throughout the game, to edge Lasell at home.
Albertus' Ray Askew (New Haven, CT) led all scorers with 28 points and also picked up 15 boards and six assists. Walden St. Juste (Hartford, CT) dropped in 16 points for the Falcons and Byron Reaves (Hamden, CT) and Jefferson Lora (Bronx, NY) matched for 13 points apiece. Lora collected 10 rebounds as well a double-double performance.
Senior guard Charles Horton (Detriot, MI) put up 21 points for the Lasers, the team-best in scoring. Sophomore forward Javon Williams (Mattapan, MA) tallied 12 points and ten rebounds and freshman forward Deshawn Dell (Boston, MA) grabbed eleven boards and notched eight points from the field.
The visitors took the lead in the opening minutes but the Lasers turned the tables at 15:11, going ahead by two after a Brett Heimann (Miami, FL) baseline trifecta hit nothing-but-net. The visitors tied the game up as Lora powered his way down low for a quick bucket, then took back control of the scoreboard with a layup by Askew. A give-and-go basket from Horton to Williams followed by another Horton bucket allowed the Lasers to push ahead by seven, all the while holding the Falcons scoreless for four minutes.
Reaves nailed a three with just under three minutes remaining in the period giving the Falcons the edge once more, but two bonus freebies and a tip-in, both by Dell in the consecutive plays, put Lasell up once again. A final jump shot by Sha'Ron Young (New Haven, CT) cut the Falcons deficit to just one at halftime.
Askew began the second half by creating a bucket, plus one, putting Albertus on top once more. The teams fought for control, producing three ties and three swings in the lead in the first eight minutes. It was with 11:28 on the clock, that St. Juste hit a shot from beyond the arc, and the subsequent dunk by Askew changed score in favor of the Falcons for the final time. Albertus carried that momentum through to go ahead by a margin of ten with five minutes remaining, and as much as fifteen with 60 ticks left on the clock.
Lasell's GNAC setback leaves them at 4-6 in the league, and 6-11 overall. Albertus Magnus retains the top of the standings in the conference with a 9-1 GNAC record and a 13-4 overall slate.
Lasell travels to Emmanuel College on Saturday, January 30th for a 1:00 p.m. GNAC game against the Saints.