NEWTON, Mass. (1/25/17)– Senior guard Armin Omanovic (Wilkesboro, N.C.) poured in 35 points to lead the Lasell men's basketball team over crosstown rival Mount Ida College, 101-70, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action at the Mount Ida Athletic Center.
Omanovic hit nine three-pointers, just one away from the all-time record at Lasell, to advance the Lasers to 8-3 in the GNAC and 11-7 overall. The Mustangs drop to 12-6 this season and 8-3 in the conference.
The Mustangs saw 15 points from Ethan Dujon (Warwick, R.I.), but never led in the game, and fell behind by double digits less than eight minutes into the contest.
When Omanovic made his second three-pointer at 11:17 of the first half to give Lasell a 22-11 lead, it was the last time that the Mustangs would be within single digits. Omanovic was 5-6 from long range in the first half and had 19 points by the break, while Tim Blair (Newington, Conn.) started the night out with two three-pointers and went 3-3 from long range in the first half en route to an 18 point night, one of five Lasers in double-digits.
Though the Lasell lead was as much as 25 in the first half, Mount Ida held the Lasers without a field goal for the final 6:28 of the period, and used a 17-7 run to cut the gap to 16 by halftime.
Hopes of a comeback, however, were quickly dashed by the Lasers, who opened the second half on an 11-1 run, including five straight points by Derek McMahon (Hatfield, Mass.) and two more threes from Omanovic.
McMahon scored 15 points, as did John Powell (Ashland, Mass.), who dished out a game-high four assists and had a block, while Yordan Villalon (Miami, Fla.) had a double-double with 11 points and ten rebounds, helping Lasell to a 43-27 edge on the glass.
Junior guard Jayson Clark (Austin, Texas) had ten points at halftime, but was kept quiet in the second half, ending the night with 12 points. Sophomore Dennis Ross (Portland, Maine) added 11 points off the bench in the loss.
Lasell junior Dannie Moore (Orlando, Fla.) had three blocks to go with three points, a steal, an assist and six rebounds.
During the game, coaches from Mount Ida and Lasell each wore sneakers in support of Coaches Vs Cancer, an initiative by the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the American Cancer Society. Mount Ida collected donations from fans to make towards the American Cancer Society, and we urge you to join the fight at coachesvscancer.org.
Lasell heads North on Saturday to face the Norwich Cadets for a 3:00 p.m. tip, while Mount Ida looks to get back on track with another big GNAC game at Johnson & Wales on the same day at 4:30 p.m.