DUDLEY, MA - Sophomore guard Sean Bertanza (Seymour, CT) scored 19 points en route to Lasell's first men's basketball win of the season, edging Nichols College, 66-64, on Thursday night. The victory brings Lasell's overall record to 1-7 on the year, while the Bison fall to 2-7.
Three other Lasers reached double-figures in the contest in addition to Bertanza's team-best. Javon Williams (Mattapan, MA) and Robert Roy (Dover, NH) netted 12 points each and Derrick Harper (Boston, MA) concluded the match with the only double-double of the evening, pulling down a game-high 10 rebounds and adding 10 points.
Bison sophomore Justin Kuntz (Wallingford, CT) knocked down 9-of-12 field goals, including 3-of-4 three-pointers for a career-best 21 points. Michael Salis (Nashua, NH) and Ryan Sheehan (North Attleboro, MA) recorded 11 points apiece and Daniel Taylor (Westhampton, MA) collected 10 boards off the glass in the loss.
The teams swapped leads eight times in a competitive first half during which time Nichols earned the largest lead of the period on a Kuntz floater in the lane to put the Bison ahead 25-17 with 4:34 left to play. Roy fired back with a long ball to start a 9-0 run over the course of three minutes to give Lasell their first lead since the 13 minute mark, at 26-25. A free throw by Kyle Mascilak (Sparta, NJ) knotted the score at 26-all with one minute left in the frame, but a three-ball by Jordan Fuller (Ovieda, FL) capped scoring for the half, giving Lasell a 29-26 advantage at halftime.
Lasell carried over the momentum from the first half to pull away on an 11-2 stretch to earn a ten point lead (40-30) five minutes into the second half. Nichols followed with an 11-1 run which spanned three minutes to tie the score at 41-all, receiving seven straight points by Kuntz.
Another 11-2 streak by Lasell brought the visitors back ahead by nine with 6:49 on the clock. A final push by the Bison closed the deficit to one point with 18 ticks left in regulation, but two big defensive stops by Lasell in the final possessions of the game along with a final free throw by Williams allowed the Lasers to hold on for the victory.
The Lasers will look for their second straight win when they travel to Norwich on Saturday, December 11th for a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) contest at 1:00 p.m.