NEWTON, Mass. – Senior guard Armin Omanovic (Wilkesboro, N.C.) scored 35 points and Tim Blair (Newington, Conn.) had a career-high 31 points as Lasell College beat Mount Ida 95-83 in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball action Tuesday night inside the Athletic Center.
The conference victory for the Lasers snaps Mount Ida's six game winning streak, and keeps them undefeated in the conference, 6-0.
Omanovic surpassed the 30+ point marker for the fifth time this year, and was 16-18 from the free throw line with had a team-high nine assists. Omanovic's performance passed the 1,000 point plateau for his career, combined with his time at Pfeiffer University in his first two seasons.
Senior John Powell (Ashland, Mass.) finished in double-figures in scoring for the Lasers with 14 points, three assists, six rebounds and two blocks, while Blair led all players with ten rebounds for a double-double, along with a game-high three steals.
The Mustangs were led by 21 points from Ethan Dujon (Warwick, R.I.), who is also closing in on the 1,000 point milestone. Mustang junior Joey DeFillippi (Bristol, Conn.) had seven points and three assists, and forward Kevin Conner (Mansfield, Mass.) had 11 points and led the team with four dimes.
A back and forth start to the game saw Blair hit a three-point jump shot with 9:27 left in the first half to put the Lasers in front 26-24, and from there the Mustangs led just once, 40-38 after a triple by Errald Jordine (Stmaford, Conn.), who had 14 points and a team-high five rebounds in the loss.
Derek McMahon (Hatfield, Mass.) answered with a three-of his own for Lasell, who shot 44.4% from long range in the first half and 43.3% for the game, while outshooting the Mustangs 50% to 40% from the field and taking 18 more free throws.
Omanovic on his own outproduced the Mustangs (14-17) from the charity stripe.
Lasell went to the locker room with a 47-42 lead, and Mount Ida was left chasing the game in the second half, as Omanovic closed with 23 points in the final twenty minutes.
Guard Jayson Clark (Austin, Texas) had 17 points for Mount Ida, and he cut the deficit to two points with a layup with 5:26 to play before a Jordine triple got the margin to one, 74-73.
Blair answered again with a three of his own, and Omanovic scored the next five points. Blair hit another three pointer and then made all three foul shots after being fouled on a triple attempt to erase any hopes of a comeback after the Mustangs had cut the lead back to four.
Lasell heads to Johnson & Wales on Thursday evening for a 7:00 p.m. contest against the Wildcats, while The Mustangs are back on their home court on Thursday at 5:00 p.m. to play host to Emmanuel.