Keene, N.H. (1/7/14) – The Lasell College men's basketball team kicked off the new year with an 82-68 defeat of Keene State on Tuesday evening. The Lasers improved to 5-4 on the season while Keene slipped to 3-7 for the year.
Brandon Ganesh (W. Palm Beach, Fla.) led the Lasers with 26 points, shooting 9-20 from the field, 3-6 from distance and 5-6 from the charity stripe. Clyde Niba (Atlanta, Ga.) added his fourth double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Richard O'Brien (Manchester, N.H.) added 11 points while connecting on three out of four attempts from behind the arc. Lasell capitalized on a strong shooting performance, finishing at 48.3% from the field while making 11-20 from long range.
Tom Doyle tallied 16 points for the Owls, pacing four players in double figures. Nate
Howard chipped in with 13 points and 10 caroms, while Jaquel Edwards and Tre Tipton each netted 12 points in the contest. The hosts struggled to find the range, finishing the night shooting 34.3% from the floor and converting only six of 20 shots from behind the three point line.
Lasell used an 11-0 spurt in the first half to turn a 13-11 contest into a 24-11 advantage with 11:33 remaining in the first half. Keene climbed back into the game behind six points each from Tom Howard and Tre Tipton, tying the game at 30-30 following a pair of Tipton trifectas with just under four minutes remaining in the first half. The Owls took a 38-37 lead into the half, after holding Lasell to 40% shooting from the field and 38% from three point land.
Lasell held a narrow 45-44 lead with 17:10 on the clock before exploding with 13 unanswered points to build a 58-44 advantage with 14:13 left. Lasell never let the Owls closer than nine the rest of the way on their way to the 82-68 victory.
Lasell will return home on Thursday January 9th when they resume Great Northeast Athletic Conference play with a 7:00 p.m. tilt against Anna Maria.