Lasell Stuns Men’s Basketball, 88-56

BOSTON – In a rescheduled GNAC contest, the Suffolk men's basketball team fell victim to its undefeated league foe Lasell, 88-56, Thursday night inside Regan Gymnasium.

Suffolk dropped its fourth straight contest, slipping to 4-12 overall and 2-7 against the GNAC, while Lasell (12-4) claimed its sixth straight victory and kept its conference ledger perfect at 9-0.  

A back-and-forth opening consumed the first 6:14 of the game, as the lead changed five times with the scoring locking on four occasions. Lasell put in seven quick points to take a 20-13 edge and Jeff Juron called a timeout to talk things over. 

Jake Meister broke up the unanswered points with a bucket, before Pat Marchand put one in on the other end to keep the distance at seven.  Steven DiPrizio started chipping away at the Lasers lead as the freshman put in a set from the line. The freebies sparked a 5-0 Suffolk stretch that featured four DiPrizio points. 

The run pulled Suffolk within two, 22-20, at the midway point of the frame. Lasell turned up the pressure in an attempt to put double figure space between the Rams, but hoops by Nacho Ballve and Meister broke up the Lasers run and remain within striking distance. 

Slowly, but surely the double digit deficit came for the Rams at 2:39. The 10-point Lasers lead was shortlived as the Rams scored seven of the final nine points to pull within six, 44-38, as the teams headed to the locker room. The final run featured four points from Michael Hagopian and and-1 from Meister. 

Both teams shot tremendously well over the first 20 minutes. Suffolk put together a 52.0 percent connection rate from the floor (13-25) and was nearly perfect from the charity stripe, shooting 10-of-11 (90.9%). Lasell, meanwhile, shot 47.1 percent from the field and connected on 9-of-9 from the line. Meister led the Rams with 12 points in the first half, while Armin Omanovic put in 17 for the Lasers. 

Out of halftime, the team's traded hoops before Lasell quickly built back its double-digit lead. The 10-point lead quickly doubled and went on to triple and the Lasers went on to take an 88-56 triumph. 

Suffolk suffered from a second-half shooting slump, going 15.8 percent from the floor to finish the night shooting 30.2 percent. Meister's 15 points paced the Rams, with Matt Duquette and Hagopian adding 13 and 12, respectively. Meister, Adam Chick and Ballve each grabbed five caroms to pace the Rams' 30 rebound effort. 

Omanovic went on to score 23 for Lasell. Marchand added a double-double effort of 13 rebounds and 12 points. Scott Arsenault (18) and Richard O'Brien (13) also contributed double figures. The Lasers shooting stayed consistent in the second-half to shot 49.3 on the night. Lasell held advatnages on the glass, 49-30, in the paint, 46-24 and off second opportunities, 15-4. 

Anna Maria up next for Suffolk as the Rams host the AMCATS Saturday, Jan. 23 at 3:15 p.m.