Lasers Shoot Past Monks 81-60; Galletta Hits 100th Conference Victory

STANDISH, Maine – Lasell College (11-0 GNAC) remained undefeated in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play with an 81-60 victory over Saint Joseph's College (6-12, 3-8 GNAC) in men's basketball action at the Harold Alfond Center on Wednesday night. The finish marks head coach Aaron Galletta's 100th conference win (11 NAC, 89 GNAC) as the Lasers advance to 14-4 overall. 

STAT LEADERS FOR LASELL

Junior guard Armin Omanovic (Wilkesboro, N.C.) registered 23 points – including 19 in the second half - with eight rebounds and four assists while Sophomore guard Scott Arsenault (Walpole, Mass.) netted 23 points off a 7-11 three-point shooting performance. Senior guard Richard O'Brien (Manchester, N.H.) added 12 points, seven assists, and four caroms, senior forward Pat Marchand (Cranston, R.I.) chipped in with eight points and nine rebounds, and senior forward Logan Liberty (Duxbury, Vt.) tallied eight points, seven boards, and a pair of blocked shots.

STAT LEADERS FOR SAINT JOSEPH'S

Sophomore forward Quinn Richardson-Newton (Saco, Maine) led the Monks with 15 points while making seven of 14 shots from the field. Freshman point guard Ian Mileikis (Auburn, Maine) added 11 points, six boards, two assists and a pair of steals, while freshman guard Darian Berry (Rochester, N.H.) contributed 11 points. Senior guard Craig Luschenat (Boston, Mass.) chipped in with eight points, while senior guard Jerome Diggs (Washington, D.C.) came off the bench to tally five points, four assists, two boards and two steals.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Monks fell victim to a sluggish start and could not recover, as the Lasers opened the game on an 11-2 run and shot 57.1% (8-14) from three-point distance in the first half to lead 40-24 going into the break.

Saint Joseph's improved in the second stanza, but Lasell continued to dominate from downtown to the tune of a 46.7% (7-15) clip and increased the lead to a game-high 29 points (79-50) with 4:57 remaining.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

Lasell posted performances of 55.6% (30-54), 51.7% (15-29), and 66.7% (6-9) from the floor, downtown, and the charity stripe, respectively while Saint Joseph's shot 41.1% (23-56) overall, 35.3% (6-17) from three-point range, and 57.1% (8-14) from the free throw line,

The Lasers nearly doubled up the Monks on the glass with a 39-20 rebounds advantage and also led in assists (19-14), second chance points (15-5), and points in the paint (28-18). The Monks maintained the lead in turnovers (8-15), points off turnovers (11-6), and bench points (13-7) in the losing effort.

WHAT'S NEXT

Both teams hit the road to face conference opponents on Saturday when Saint Joseph's faces reigning GNAC Champion Albertus Magnus College (12-3, 8-2 GNAC) at 1:00 PM and Lasell travels to Rivier University (3-15, 3-8 GNAC) for a 3:00 PM tip-off.

Recap Courtesy of Saint Joseph's College Sports Information