Lasers Stopped by Saints in Overtime

BOSTON, Mass. - Despite a 28 point, 12 rebound performance by Lasell's sophomore forward Javon Williams (Mattapan, MA) the Lasers men's basketball team was defeated by Emmanuel College, 87-79, in overtime on Saturday afternoon.  The extra frame was needed after a regulation game where the lead   alternated eight times and deadlocked seven times, and ultimately ended in a Saints' eight point triumph.

Emmanuel went ahead 7-0 beginning with an and-one play by Isaiah Duke (Albany, NY) and followed by consecutive lay-ups by Armani Gill (Boston, MA) and Xavier Everson (Rochester, NY).  Senior forward Sean Joynes (Philadelphia, PA) broke the Lasers' scoreless stretch, but the Saints continued to lengthen their advantage, going ahead 12-2 during the opening five minutes.  Williams went on a solo 6-0 run to bring the Lasers back within six points of the hosts, but Lasers remained in arrears until the final moments of the half.

With one minute left before the break, the Lasers were down by six points, at 34-28.  Jump shots by Justin Harris (New Orleans, LA) and Aaron Bray (Boston, MA), and a final fast-break lay-up by Williams in the final sixty seconds, knotted the score at 34-all as the teams entered the locker rooms.

Everson scored immediately after the break for Emmanuel, but Lasell's Dominik Orlow (Slupsk, Poland) evened the score with a hoop of his own to tie things again at 36-all.  Emmanuel pulled out an 8-0 streak over the course of the following four minutes, causing the Lasers to fall behind 44-36.

After a timeout, the Lasers changed the momentum and began to chip away at the Saint's lead, tying the contest once more with a Deshawn Dell (Boston, MA) put-back, with 13 minutes on the clock.  Three minutes later, Lasell took their first lead of the contest with two consecutive Williams buckets.

Over the course of the final ten minutes, the score fluctuated between the teams, with neither side going ahead by more than two points, until with 15 seconds left, Lasell's Charles Horton (Detroit, MI) was sent to the free throw line. Horton hit the tail end of two and gave Lasell a three point edge with 12.1 ticks left on the clock. Emmanuel set up a final play which resulted in Duke hitting a deep back-board three-pointer from the top of the key to tie things up in the final stalemate, at 72-72, to end regulation.

After an initial hit by Williams gave Lasell the first lead in the extra session, the Saints took control with a  trey by Michael Mailhot and held on to the lead through the final whistle.

Duke led Emmanuel with 22 points and 11 rebounds and Everson kicked in 17 points to go along with seven rebounds, three blocks, three assists, and three steals.

Williams led all scorers with his seventh double-double performance of the season.  Harris pitched in with 11 points, seven rebounds, and five assists, while Dell made his mark with nine points, ten rebounds, and four assists.

All of the coaches from both teams wore sneakers and the officials adorned pink whistles as this Great Northeast Athletic Conference match-up was part of the Men's Basketball Coaches vs. Cancer Week.

Lasell returns home for another GNAC matchup against Suffolk University, Monday, February 1st at 7:00 p.m.