PREVIEW: Men's Basketball Meets Johnson & Wales in GNAC Semifinal

NEWTON, Mass. (2/22/17) -- Looking to ride the momentum from Tuesday's thrilling win over Emmanuel, the third-seeded Lasell College men's basketball team travels to Providence, R.I., to face the second-seeded Wildcats of Johnson & Wales University in the semifinal round of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament.

Tip time is set for 7:00 p.m., and the game will be streamed live via JWU's website. A fan bus will leave from the Athletic Center at 5:15 p.m. sharp, and space is limited to the first 50 people who reserve seating. Admission upon entry will be $2 for students (with ID), and $3 for adults. 

Lasell enters the contest with an 18-8 overall record, while JWU is 15-11. However, the teams tied for second place in the GNAC standings with 14-4 marks.

The Lasers head to the Ocean State on a four-game winning streak following the quarterfinal victory over the sixth-seeded Saints, 76-74. Lasell scored six points over the final two minutes of the contest with junior Derek McMahon (Hatfield, Mass.) knocking down the game-winning three with 1:18 left.

Senior John Powell (Ashland, Mass.) scored 21 of his 30 points in the second half against Emmanuel, leading four Lasers scorers in double figures with his third 30-point effort of the season and second consecutive. Powell averages 16.7 points per game, good for seventh in the GNAC and second to classmate Armin Omanovic (Wilkesboro, N.C.) on the team.

Conversely, JWU lost its last two contests of the regular season to Fisher and Emmanuel. In Tuesday night's postseason opener, senior Anthony Jernigan (East Hartford, Conn.) posted 23 points, seven assists and six steals to lead the Wildcats to an 83-68 victory over seventh-seeded Suffolk.

Lasell split its two regular-season meetings with JWU, cruising to an 86-58 win to open GNAC play on Nov. 29 before falling 83-69 on Jan. 12. The teams have not met in the postseason since 2014, when the Wildcats were 87-74 winners in the championship game of the ECAC New England Tournament.

Omanovic led the Lasers in both previous games against JWU, including a 31-point effort in the GNAC-opening victory. Additionally, Powell posted his third of 11 double-doubles this season with 17 points and 11 rebounds. In the January defeat, Powell and Omanovic combined for 41 points to lead four Lasell starters in double figures.

Powell leads the GNAC with 52 blocked shots after swatting away six against Emmanuel. Lasell's rebounding margin of 10.1 ranks fifth among all NCAA Division III schools and second in New England. Individually, senior Yordan Villalon (Miami, Fla.) and Powell rank third and fourth in the GNAC in rebounding as they have combined for 510 this season. On Thursday, Villalon grabbed 18 rebounds and Powell nine.

McMahon scored 10 points and dished out eight assists last time out, adding to a streak of recording at least six helpers in five of his last seven games. It was his sixth time reaching double digits in points this season and his second in as many games after an 18-point night to conclude the regular season against Norwich last Saturday.

The Wildcats own the GNAC's stingiest defense as they allow just 70.3 points per game, but boast the league's second-leading scorer in Jernigan, who averages 22.2 himself. Junior Edson Dascy (Fall River, Mass.) shoots 45.2 percent from three-point range, tops among individuals in championship contention.

Lasell is searching for its first GNAC title since 2008 when it defeated Emerson, but 11th-year head coach Aaron Galletta's team has advanced to the semifinal round seven times in 10 years, including three of the last four. The Lasers also won 18 games last season and in 2014, while the 2007-08 team won 20 games and advanced to play Brandeis in the NCAA Tournament.

Seeds held serve in all four quarterfinal contests in the GNAC, setting up Thursday's contests. On the other side of the bracket, top-seeded Albertus Magnus was a 92-67 winner over Anna Maria, while fourth-seeded neighbor Mount Ida downed St. Joseph's College of Maine, 91-82.

Thursday night's winners will play for the GNAC title on Saturday, February 25 at the highest remaining seed.

If you can't attend the game, the Campus Activities Board will be streaming it live in the first floor of Arnow Campus Center.