Women's Basketball Downs Panthers 60-37

NEWTON, Mass. (2/5/15) – The Lasell College women's basketball team led from start to finish and snapped their five game losing skid as the Lasers defeated the Plymouth State Panthers 60-37 in non-conference action on Thursday evening inside of the Lasell College Athletic Center Gymnasium.

Lasell was paced by junior guard Katie Stopera (Hollis, N.H.) who notched her fifth double-double of the season with a game-high 14 points and ten rebounds. Stopera also recorded two steals and block in the victory. Sophomore guard Sherilyn Small (Springfield, Mass.) chipped in with 10 points and six boards, while senior guard Justine Ryan (Norwood, Mass.) tallied 10 points as well. Junior guard Deanna Barrett (Berlin, Conn.) added five points and dished out a game-high five assists, while freshman guard Morgan Church (New London, N.H) pulled down five board in the win.

Plymouth State saw a spread out performance by its offense as eight of ten student-athletes found the net. Junior guard Taylor Perry (Simsbury, Conn.) tallied a team-high nine points, while freshman forward Elisabeth Caron (Londonderry, N.H.) added seven points and a pair of rebounds. Sophomore guard Savannah Miller (Smithtown, N.Y.) and classmate forward Lindsy Poulin (Goffstown, N.H.) each pulled down a team-high six boards. Miller added four points and a game-high four steals in the effort.

The Lasers jumped out to a 12-0 lead over the opening 7:17 of the first half. A three-pointer from Stopera and a jumper from Ryan capped the opening spurt before the Panthers found the net. Plymouth State scored their first points of the game with a brief 5-0 run capped by a layup from Caron and a three-pointer from sophomore guard Ace Lawrence (Middletown, Conn.) to make the score 12-5 midway through the opening stanza. Lasell outscored Plymouth State 18-11 over the remaining 9:21 to take a 30-16 lead at the half.

Lasell went on 11-6 run over the first seven minutes of the second stanza to maintain its lead 44-23. The spurt featured five points from Stopera and layups from Barrett, junior forward Breeana Williams (Bloomfield, Conn.) and Small. Plymouth State wasn't able to climb back into the ball game over the final ten minutes of action as both teams traded baskets and Lasell was able to take the game 60-37.

Lasell shot 46.0-percent (23-for-50) from the field, 40.0-percent (6-for-15) from three-point range and 53.3-percent (8-for-15) from the free throw line, while Plymouth State shot 24.2-percent (15-for-62) from the floor, 15.0-percent (3-for-20) from long range and 50.0-percent (4-for-8) from the charity stripe.

The Lasers outrebounded the Panthers 44-37, while held a 13-5 advantage in assists. The Panthers maintained a 21-15 margin in points from the bench.

Both teams return to action on Saturday, February 7. Lasell (6-13) hosts Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) foe Johnson and Wales at 2:00 p.m., while Plymouth State (6-14) heads home to take on Western Connecticut in a Little East Conference (LEC) matchup at 1:00 p.m.