Posted: Jan 20, 2015
PAXTON, Mass.— Lasell College fell to Anna Maria College 93-82 in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference match up on Tuesday evening at the Fuller Center. The loss drops Lasell to 4-10 overall and 3-6 in GNAC play. The win is the sixth-in-a-row for the AMCATS, who top the .500 mark and improve to 8-7 overall and 6-2 in conference action.
Despite the deficit, Lasell's Yordan Villalon (Miami, Fla.) scored a game-high 21 points and recorded eight assists, while Scott Arsenault (Walpole, Mass.) chipped in with 13 points off the bench.
Junior Tyler Delorey (Worcester, Mass.) paced the AMCATS with 20 points on a 7-for-8 effort from the floor, including two three-pointers, in addition to a team-best six rebounds. Senior Quantez Franklin (South Yarmouth, Mass.) added 19 points on an 8-for-11 effort, while classmate Corey Pryor (Whitinsville, Mass.) tallied 18 points off the bench and drained three three-pointers.
Juniors Kyle McKissick (Charlton, Mass.) and Patrick Bradanese (Billerica, Mass.) also scored in double-figures, adding 16 and 12 points, respectively. McKissick also had a strong defensive game with four rebounds, four blocks, and two steals. Senior Michael Gorman (Methuen, Mass.) aided the AMCATS' offense with a game-high nine assists.
The AMCATS tallied a 75 percent shooting percentage from three-point range in the first half, which fueled a 13-point halftime lead.
The Lasers were not out though, and used the first 10 minutes of the second half to cut the AMCATS' lead to just two points. With 5:44 left to play, Villalon hit a pair of free-throws to tie the score at 71-71. McKissick hit a layup on Anna Maria's next trip down the floor, but Lasell answered with a three-pointer to take a one-point lead.
The Lasers' lead was short-lived, as Bradanese drained a three-pointer with 4:26 on the clock to put the AMCATS up by two, 78-76. The basket marked the start of an 8-0 run for Anna Maria, giving them an 83-76 lead with 3:34 still to play.
Lasell managed to cut their deficit back to four points following a pair of free-throws by Villalon and a three-pointer by Jeremy Daniel (Bridgeport, Conn.), but time was running out and the Lasers were forced to foul for possession. The AMCATS hit six free-throws in the final minutes of the game to claim the 11-point victory.
Anna Maria held a 44-34 advantage in points in the paint. They also outscored Lasell 32-19 off turnovers, but the Lasers held a 15-8 edge in second-chance points and saw their bench outscore Anna Maria's, 29-23.
The AMCATS shot at 64.2 percent from the floor over the course of the game, including an 18-for-26 (69.2 percent) effort in the first half. The Lasers tallied a 49.2 percent field goal percentage, and drained 9-of-20 (45.0 percent) from three-point range. Lasell outrebounded the AMCATS, 33-22, including 16 offensive boards.
Anna Maria will be back in action on Thursday, when they travel to Rivier for a 7:00 p.m. GNAC matchup. Lasell is also in action on Thursday, hosting Keene State in a 7:30 p.m. non-conference game.