Newton, Mass. (01/24/2013) – The Lasell College men's basketball team came up just short in their bid to upset the 18th ranked Falcons of Albertus Magnus College, falling at home 73-63 in Great Northeast Athletic Conference play. Albertus Magnus climbed to 16-2 overall and 11-1 in conference play, while Lasell fell to 3-15 on the year and 2-9 in the league.
Angel Ortiz (East Lyme, Conn.) led Lasell with 18 points, Frank Apisa (Branchburg, N.J.) finished with 13 points and eight rebounds, and Chris Canino (Hartford, Conn.) grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds to go with six points.
Darius Watson (New Britain, Conn.) tallied a game-high 24 points for the Falcons and Lemar Larsen (Waterbury, Conn.) posted a double-double with 13 points and a game-high 15 boards.
Lasell opened the game on a 14-6 run on the strength of a pair of three point field goals by Ortiz forcing a Falcons timeout just five minutes into the opening period. Albertus responded with a 13-2 run book-ended by a pair of Watson baskets in the paint, to take a 19-16 lead with 10 minutes gone in the contest.
Albertus Magnus tried to pull away over the final ten minutes of the half, leading by as many as seven, but Lasell hung tough, trailing 30-28 at the break.
The second half opened with the teams trading baskets, and the Lasers trailed39-37 after Ortiz answered a three pointer by the Falcons James Economopoulos (Wallingford, Conn.) with one of his own. Albertus went on a 10-2 spurt to take a 49-39 lead at the 14:10 mark, threatening to put the game away.
A layup by Apisa and a trifecta by Lasell's Rob Roy (Dover, N.H.) cut the deficit to five, but Watson came right back with a triple of his own followed by a post-up basket to regain the 10 point cushion for Albertus Magnus.
Brock Walters (Jacksonville, Fla.) converted consecutive three's for Lasell, cutting the Falcons lead to 54-50 with 9:35 on the clock. After a Watson free throw, Lasell's Rob Watts (Lafayette, N.J.) knocked down a 17 foot jumper and the hosts trail by just three at 55-52.
A Watson three pointer followed by a pair of quick baskets by Albertus guard Arshad Jackson (Hartford, Conn.) pushed the visitors lead back to 10 at 62-52 with just over four minutes to play. Three pointers by Lasell's Ortiz and Watts sandwiched a Larsen lay-up and Lasell drew within six at 64-58 and 3:25 remaining in the game.
Watson again responded with a basket in the lane, but another Watts jumper kept Lasell within striking distance at 66-60 with 2:29 left in the contest. Julian Sanders (Trumbull, Conn.) converted a jumper to put the Falcons ahead 68-60, and following a Lasell turnover the visitors were able to salt the game away at the free throw line to earn the 73-63 victory.
Albertus Magnus will host Norwich University on Saturday Jan. 26th at 3:00 p.m., while Lasell will travel to Standish, Maine to take on the Monks of St. Joseph's College (Maine) in a 3:00 p.m. GNAC tilt.