NEWTON, Mass. (12/04/2014) – The Lasell College men's basketball team earned their first Great Northeast Athletic Conference win with an 85-65 victory over Mount Ida College Thursday night in the Athletic Center. The Lasers jump to 2-4 while the Mustangs sink to 1-5.
Freshman guard Jamontay Thompson (Apopka, Fla.) came off the bench to lead all players with 19 points, while junior forward Pat Marchand (Cranston, R.I.) followed with 16 points and six boards. Senior guard Brock Walters (Jacksonville, Fla.) and sophomore forward Yordan Villalon (Miami, Fla.) came off the pine to score 14 and 13 points, respectively.
For the Mustangs, senior forward Treace Macklin (Brockton, Mass.) scored 18 points, while freshmen guards Brendan Cunningham (Quincy, Mass.) and Jayson Clark (Austin, Texas) chipped in with 11 points apiece.
Shooting a season-high 53.6% from the floor, the Lasers outscored the Mustangs by 25 points in the first half alone. Senior guard Angel Ortiz (East Lyme, Conn.) opened up the game with a shot from downtown, followed by a Marchand layup to keep the visitors scoreless for the first four minutes. The Mustangs rallied back when freshman forward Patrick McKearney (Avon, Conn.) teamed up with Clark to get on the board, where they went on a 3-0 run to tie the game at five points all.
With 7:36 left in the first stanza, Thompson went on a 6-0 run to pull the hosts away with a 15 point lead. McKearney knocked down a layup for the Mustangs, but was shortly avenged by a 7-0 run from the home team.
The Green and White retaliated in the second half, outscoring the Lasers 42-37. Improving their shooting by 23.2% from the first half, the Mustangs doubled up in the paint, scoring 22 against Lasell's 14.
Villalon added a layup with 8:10 left in regulation to give the Lasers their largest lead of 33 points at 72-41.
Freshman guard Joey DeFillippi (Bristol, Conn.) knocked down a running three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Mustangs their final hoop, ending the deficit 85-65.
Both teams will continue conference competition on Saturday, December 6th at 1:00 p.m. The Lasers will travel to Johnson and Wales University, while the Mustangs host Emmanuel College.