NEWTON, Mass. (1/19/16) – Following a torrid first half, the Lasell men's basketball team downed the Cadets of Norwich University 92-73 in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action on Tuesday evening in the Athletic Center Gym.  The win keeps the Lasers perfect in league play at 8-0 as they jump to 11-4 overall, while the Cadets drop to 1-8 in the GNAC and 4-12 this season.

STAT LEADERS FOR LASELL

Junior guard Armin Omanovic (Wilkesboro, N.C.) led the offense with 22 points for the Lasers with an additional eight assists and six rebounds, highlighted by a 100% outing from the free throw line on 14-of-14 attempts. Sophomore guard Scott Arsenault (Walpole, Mass.) went 5-for-10 from both the floor and three-point territory, joining senior guard Richard O'Brien (Manchester, N.H.) with 15 points in the victory. Senior forward Pat Marchand (Cranston, R.I.) jumped up for six rebounds and scored 13 points, while freshman Derek McMahon (Hatfield, Mass.) came off the bench to score 10 points.

STAT LEADERS FOR NORWICH 

In a deep roster for the Cadets, sophomore forward Joe Bertrand (Saugus, Mass.) scored a team-best 10 points off the pine, while sophomore guard Ryan Booth (Northfield, Vt.) and senior guard Jimmy Warden (North Andover, Mass.), scored nine points apiece.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Lasers used 60.0% shooting from the floor to hold a commanding 51-27 lead heading into the halftime break. Connecting on 21-of-35 shots, Lasell carried its momentum into the second half with an immediate six points from Marchand. With five minutes expired on the game clock, O'Brien finished a deep three from Omanovic for the 64-30 lead, where the Cadets began a scoring surge of its own. With 15 left to go in regulation, Norwich dominated an 18-0 run capped by a three-pointer from Bertrand to pull with 18 points 64-46. 

The Cadets continued to chip away at the score, however with 6:42 left to go, Arsenault drained a three-pointer from a pass via O'Brien to keep the Lasers in check. Omanovic put up a consecutive eight points on the scoreboard to keep the lead up, where Lasell soon closed the contest with a 92-73 victory after a deep three from freshman George Foti (Oneonta, N.Y.).

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

Lasell shot 55.2% from the floor compared to Norwich's 40.3% and dominated long range territory on 18-for-22 shooting (81.8%).  The Lasers held a torrid advantage on the glass 42-27, while the Cadets scored 12 points from the second chance opportunity compared to Lasell's 11.

WHAT'S NEXT

The Lasers will return to action on Thursday, January 21 for a make-up game with the Rams of Suffolk University at 7:00 p.m., while the Cadets host Albertus Magnus on Saturday, January 23 at 1:00 p.m.