STANDISH, Maine - Graduate students Jonathan Friberg and Kevin Vanderhorst finished with a combined 27 points and 30 rebounds for the Lasell University men's basketball team during a 78-61 setback Saturday at Great Northeast Athletic Conference-rival Saint Joseph's College of Maine.

Friberg finished with a team-high 15 points and game-leading 16 rebounds for the Lasers (14-10, 11-7 GNAC). He shot 7 of 13 from the field, while Vanderhorst tallied 12 points and 14 boards, going 4 of 4 from the free-throw line. Senior guards EJ Day (15 points) and Kevin Nunez (13) reached double figures in scoring. Day finished 3 of 7 from beyond the 3-point line.

"Saint Joe's beat us in every facet of the game today," said Lasell University Men's Basketball Head Coach Aaron Galletta. "We got out-coached, out-played and did not have the necessary energy or senese of urgency to win a college basketball game. That is on me. We will get back to work on Monday and come ready to go for our playoff game on Wednesday."

The Monks (8-17, 7-10 GNAC) were led by game-highs of 18 points and five assists by Drew Shea off the bench. He shot 6 of 9 from the field and 4 for 6 on 3-pointers, while grabbing a team-leading 12 rebounds. David Keohan compiled 11 points and 10 boards, while Nicholas Curtis finished with 16 points, five rebounds and four assists.

The Monks took a 7-2 lead 2:19 into the first half, but Day and Vanderhorst responded with a 3-pointer and tip-in, respectively, cutting the deficit down to 9-7. A 26-4 surge gave the hosts a 36-13 advantage with 4:25 on the clock. The Monks led, 42-22, at halftime.

Nunez scored all 13 of his points in the second half. Lasell trailed by 22 with just over 13 minutes remaining, and then made a run to cut the deficit down to 59-50 on a trey by Day with 8:41 on the scoreboard. A 3-pointer by Keohan and jumper by Curtis allowed the Monks to regain a 14-point lead with 7:56 left. The Lasers were unable to get closer than 12 the rest of the way.

Lasell won second-chance points, 13-4, while the Monks held a 47-43 advantage in the rebounding action.

The Lasers earned the No. 3 seed in the GNAC Tournament and will host a quarterfinal-round playoff game against either sixth-seeded Norwich or 11th-seeded Rivier on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Athletic Center. 

Director of Athletic Communications Trevor Wenners can be reached at twenners@lasell.edu.

-

For continuing coverage of Laser athletics, stay up to date with our website and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.