WBB: Anna Maria pulls out win over Lasell

NEWTON, Mass. – Anna Maria College outscored Lasell College 21-8 over the final seven minutes Saturday afternoon to defeat the Lasers, 69-56, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's basketball game at the Lasell Athletic Center.

Junior Sierra Johnson (Brockton, Mass.) scored seven of her 13 points in the late rally for the Amcats, while sophomore Amber Wilson (New York, N.Y.) and senior Shannon Hofmiller (Oxford, Conn.) tallied six points apiece in the stretch.

Anna Maria improves to 6-14 overall and 3-4 in the GNAC, while Lasell drops to 5-12 overall and 0-5 in conference play.

Wilson led the visitors with 20 points for the afternoon, leading a group of four Amcats who scored in double figures. Sierra Johnson finished with 13 points and Hofmiller and graduate student Johanna Burke (Oxford, Mass.) added 11 each, with Burke also collecting a team-high nine rebounds.

Junior Amanda Ortiz (Newton, Mass.) led the Lasers with a game-high 25 points, five rebounds and seven steals. Sophomore Meg Carroll (Douglas, Mass.), who recently returned from an injury, finished with season-highs of 10 points and nine rebounds.

Lasell got off to a slow start, managing just six points in the first 10 minutes and trailed 16-6 after one quarter. The Lasers came to life in the second frame, outscoring the visitors 16-11 to pull to within five points at halftime, 27-22.

Ortiz opened the second half with a basket and graduate student Breanna Muir (Wareham, Mass.) followed with a three-pointer as Lasell battled back to tie the score at 27-all in the opening minute of the third quarter. The score was tied again at 37-apiece with 4:20 remaining, and Lasell took its first lead on a Carroll lay-up with 3:52 on the clock. The teams traded baskets until Anna Maria took a 42-41 advantage into the final quarter.

The Amcats pulled ahead by six points in the first two minutes of the fourth quarter, but Lasell battled back tie the score at 48-all after a three-pointer by junior D'Asia Allen (Providence, R.I.) with 7:30 showing. The Lasers were down just one point (50-49) with 6:50 remaining but couldn't come back as Anna Maria stretched the lead back up to eight points (59-51) with 3:40 to go. Lasell got no closer than seven points the rest of the way.

The Lasers will be back in GNAC action on Tuesday, January 29, traveling to Suffolk University for a 7:00 p.m. start, while Anna Maria returns home to host Norwich University on Thursday, January 31, with a 6:00 p.m. tip-off.

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