Women's Basketball Falls to Colby 77-49 in Home Opener

NEWTON, Mass. (11/16/14) – The Lasell College women's basketball team suffered a 77-49 loss to NESCAC opponent Colby College on Sunday afternoon. The Lasers take their first loss at 0-1, while the Mules remain undefeated at 2-0.

Junior forward Breeana Williams (Bloomfield, Conn.) and junior guard Katie Stopera (Hollis, N.H.) led the offense for Lasell, scoring 12 and 13 points, respectively. Williams was just short of double figures, picking up nine total rebounds. Freshman forward Breanna Cashman (Norwich, N.Y.) chipped in with six points, while senior captain Justine Ryan (Norwood, Mass.) added five.

The scoring surge was split up amongst the Mules, led by junior forward Carylanne Wolfington (Hallowell, Maine) with 22 points. Sophomore guard Caitlyn Nolan (Barrington, R.I.) chipped in with 19 points, followed by junior guard Mia Diplock (Augusta, Maine) with 15. Freshman forward Hayley Driscoll (Bedford, N.H.) tallied 10, and senior guard Brooke Chandor (Barrington, Ill.) came off the bench with nine.

In the first five minutes, the game moved back and forth between teams. Cashman opened the game with a Stopera assisted three-point shot to put the home team up 3-0. Wolfington answered the deficit with a quick five points to tie the game up and started the offensive surge for Colby. The following four plays put the Mules on the map, draining four of four attempted three-point shots by Nolan and Wolfington.

Katie Stopera came back for the Lasers with a three-point swoosh to cut the loss 17-12. With 9:21 left in the first half, Stopera made a layup to put Lasell behind by just six points. The Mules then took a seven-point run on Lasell with two layups, a jump shot, and a free throw. Chandor finished the half when she made a three-point shot with six seconds left to put the visitors up 40-26.

Colby pushed their lead to 55-28 after a 15 point run five minutes into the second half. The Lasers responded with an eight point run from Cashman, Williams, and a Sammy Long (Staten Island, N.Y.) layup. Nolan and Wolfington continued to advance the Mules towards the end of the contest with 15 points. The two went five for seven on three-point attempts, while also picking up two assists.   

The Lasers return to home-contest action on Tuesday, November 18^th at 7:00 p.m. to host the Wentworth Institute of Technology. The Mules will take on MIT on Saturday, November 22^nd in the Colby Invitational Tournament at 5:00 p.m.