NEWTON, MA- Emmanuel College men's basketball recovered from a 11 point deficit with ten minutes left to play and rallied for a 73-66 win over Lasell College Saturday afternoon. The Saints pushed for a 12-0 run over the final three minutes to secure the Great Northeast Athletic Conference victory which increased their overall record to 5-12, and their league slate to 4-7. Lasell falls to 4-14 overall and 3-8 in conference play.
After a sluggish start, the teams were left at a 3-all standstill through the 16 minute mark. Lasell benefitted from the use of their full court press to pull away from the Saint at 15:43, hitting three buckets over a thirty second stretch to open up a six point lead, 9-3. Two three-pointers by Emmanuel's Michael Mailhot (Norwich, CT), interrupted by a Sean Bertanza (Seymour, CT) midrange jumper for the Lasers, cut Lasell's lead to just two by 13:45. The Lasers, however, responded with a 12-0 run though 9:31, going 9-9 from the line and topped with a three-ball by Robert Roy (Dover, NH) to take a 23-9 advantage.
Josh Welles (Philadelphia, PA) connected on a baseline jumper which broke up the Lasers run at 9:03, but four points by Javon Williams (Mattapan, MA) and a fast break by Brett Heimann (Miami, FL) kept Lasell on top by 16 points (29-13) with only four minutes left to play in the frame. In the final minute, a Mailhot layup and two freebies by Theo Robinson (Springfield, MA) settled the mid-game score at 34-23, in favor of the host.
Lasell produced on 50% (9-18) of their shot attempts in the period, led by Williams with 14 points, going a perfect 8-for-8 from the line, while Bertanza chipped in with 12 points in the half. Mailhot had earned eight points for the visitors, who shot 34.6% (9-26) from the field and netted just 3-of-10 free throws as a team in the half.
Emmanuel slowly reduced Lasell's edge, going on a 6-0 stretch at 11:55 to come within five (52-47). A easy lay in by Robinson and a stand-still trey by Welles leveled the score at 56-all with 6:46 on the clock.
Zachary Campbell (Cape Coral, FL) knocked down two at the stripe for a 58-56 Laser edge at 6:27 and another Campbell open look from high on the post brought Lasell ahead by four. One-of-two free throws by Isaiah Duke and fast break by Everson brought Emmanuel back within one, 60-59, at 4:27.
Following a timeout, Campbell returned Lasell's four point advantage with a three on the wing. The teams traded baskets over the next three possessions, until at 2:58 Emmanuel cut Lasell's four point lead (65-61) in half with two free throws by Duke. A hoop by Everson evened the score at 65-all and another layup by Duke gave Emmanuel their first lead of the half, with 1:23 to go. The Saints ended a 12-0 run over the final three minutes with two foul shots by Everson to conclude the contest.
Bertanza was the top scorer in the contest with 22 points, adding six steals and four assists. Williams locked in 21 points for Lasell, to go with six rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Campbell and Roy chipped in with seven points each.
Duke was the high-scorer for the Saints with 15 points, in addition to nine boards. Mailhot and Robinson both tallied 12 points and Everson finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and three assists.
Lasell returns to GNAC action on Tuesday, February 1st at Suffolk University. The Rams and the Lasers will meet up at 7:00 p.m.