NEWTON, Mass. – The Lasell University men's basketball team fell to No. 6-ranked Saint Joseph (Conn.), 91-64, Wednesday in the Lasell Athletic Center.

Senior EJ Day led the way with a game-high 24 points, shooting 9 of 18 from the field and 5 for 10 on 3-pointers for the Lasers (12-9, 9-6 GNAC). Graduate student Kevin Vanderhorst scored 13 points and added nine rebounds.

Junior Jalen Samuels led the Blue Jays (20-0, 15-0 GNAC) with 17 points off the bench, shooting 8 of 9 from the field. Senior Tyree Mitchell scored 15 points off of the bench. Senior Jaecee Martin led the starters with 14 points and added a game-leading 10 rebounds. Senior Chaylyn Martin scored 13 points and senior Jake Sullivan added 12 points.

Both units got off to hot starts in the first half with each team scoring at ease. The Jays pulled out an eight-point lead with just under 4:30 gone in the game. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Vanderhorst and Day got the Lasers right back in the game, cutting the deficit down to 17-15 with 14:36 on the clock.

Two jumpers by senior Jordan Powell and a trey by Martin expanded Saint Joseph's lead to nine with 12:13 showing. Two more treys by Day and one 3-point shot by Vanderhorst slashed the Jays' lead down to 30-29 with 8:51 remaining. The Jays started to cool the Lasers off and started building their lead. Saint Joseph got its first double-figure lead with 4:06 left on an old-fashioned 3-point play by Mitchell. The visitors continued to add to the advantage, taking a 53-37 lead into halftime.

Day scored the Lasers' first 12 points of the second half. The balanced scoring of the Jays kept the lead growing despite the terrific start from Day. After the hot start in the first half, both teams struggled to match the scoring of the previous period. Saint Joseph won the final 20 minutes, 38-27.

The Lasers will be back in action on Saturday when they play host to Anna Maria. The matchup will be senior day for the men's basketball team and the festivities will happen before the game. The game is scheduled to tip off at 4 p.m. Lasell will honor Day, Vanderhorst, Liam Jacobs, Kelvin Kariuki, Kevin Nunez, Zach Scott and Jonathan Friberg.