Late Emerson Comeback Stifles Lasers

NEWTON, MA- Despite a 29-point performance by Lasell's freshman guard Kayla Vincelette (Westport, MA), the Emerson College women's basketball team came from behind to defeat Lasell College, 64-51, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference action on Saturday afternoon at the Athletic Center.

Vincelette was the high-scorer in the contest, converting on 9-of-16 chances from the floor, 3-of-7 from beyond the arc, and 8-of-11 at the charity stripe.  The rookie also collected six rebounds and dished out three assists.

Junior forward JoAnna Bishop (So. Burlington, VT) added eight points for the Lasers as well as four rebounds and two assists.  Sophomore forward Kim Archibald (Lewiston, ME) grabbed seven boards and chipped in with five points and two assists.

Emerson was led offensively by sophomore guard Shannon Norton (Middletown, NJ) who hit 3-of-4 three pointers, and 5-of-7 total field goals, to finish the contest with 13 points.  Senior guard Kathy Andrade (Hull, MA) registered the contests' only double-double with 11 rebounds and 10 points, while sophomore forward Olivia DiNucci (Pittsburgh, PA) and freshman forward Olivia Connors (Windham, NH) added 12 and 11 points respectively.

Lasell received the ball off the tip but Emerson's Elissa Chojnicki (Dover, NH) made an immediate steal in the paint which transitioned into a three-point field goal by DiNucci on the wing for a 3-0 Lion lead.  Vincelette penetrated through traffic to go strong to the hoop for two in the next thirty seconds to bring the score to 3-2 before the 19 minute mark.

Both sides struggled to get points on the board over the next three minutes while the score stood at 3-2.  Vincelette eventually knocked down a three pointer at 16:15 to break up the stalemate and take the lead but DiNucci hit her second trey at 16:03 to put Emerson back up by one, 6-5.

At 13:17, Elwell tied the score at 6-all with one-of-two free throws and a put-back by Bishop at the 12 minute mark put Lasell up, 8-6. Maddy Smeaton (Camden, ME) leveled the score once more with a bucket in the paint, followed by an Andrade tally underneath at 11:15, to flip the scoreboard in favor of Emerson.

The teams continued to trade baskets over the next two minutes leading up to a 12-all tie, at which point a three by Norton gave Emerson a 15-12 lead. Farr cut the Lasers debt to one with a jumper from the corner at 7:02, but a second Norton trey, this time from the baseline, gave the visitors a 18-14 lead with 5:30 on the clock. Lasell's Ashley Slattery (Weymouth, MA) drove down the lane to the hoop at 5:15 to get two, but an Amy Sherman (Toronto, Canada) trifecta gave the Lions their biggest lead of the half, 21-16 with 4:20 to go.

Seven straight points over a two minutes span from Vincelette swung control of the scoreboard back to Lasell, 23-21.  With one minute left to play in the half, Lasell held a 27-23 lead after two points from Katie Farr (Rindge, NH) and two netted foul shots by Vincelette.  The tail end of two free throws by Kate Farino (Medford, MA) and a final layup by Andrade closed the Lions in within one point, 27-26, at the break.

The first half totaled five lead changes and four ties leading up to the Lasers edge at the intermission.  Lasell connected on 10-of-25 total attempts, shooting 40% from the field, while also connecting on two three-pointers and 5-of-7 foul shots. The Lasers had 16 points from Vincelette, as well as four rebounds, in the period.

Emerson was led by DiNucci with eight points and Andrade with seven rebounds. The Lions had connected on 45.5% of their three-point chances in the first frame (5-of-11), and 38.5% of their total field goals (10-of-26).

Lasell held onto the lead through the first five minutes of the second half at which point back-to-back layups by Connors tied the match at 34-all. A floater and a free throw by Vincelette brought Lasell back ahead, but a Chojnicki bucket and another Norton three brought the visitors their first lead in over 10 minutes.

The Lions continued to push forward, capping an 8-0 run with a three-point play by Connors to bring the score to 42-37 at 12:32. Lasell eventually broke up their scoring drought with a hoop by Kara Hinthorne (Rockland, MA) at 10:26 and then continued to fend off Emerson's attempts at advancing with countering baskets.  The score fluctuated between three and five points over a four minute stretch, at which time Emerson lodged a 9-0 run to pull ahead by 12 points, 57-45, with 3:56 to go.  The Lions remained out of reach for the rest of the contest, taking a 15 point edge with 26 seconds on the clock before a final layup by Archibald settled the contest at 64-51.

Emerson was more aggressive on the boards, winning out 35-28 on the glass throughout the contest.  The Lions also used 60% shooting in the second half, hitting on 15-of-25 attempts, to pull away from the hosts.

Emerson boosts their overall record to 5-11 and their GNAC slate to 3-1 with the win.  In the defeat, Lasell drops to 1-15 overall and 0-5 in the conference.

Lasell returns to action next Monday, January 24th, for a 7:00 p.m. home contest against non-conference Eastern Nazarene College.