WBK: Lasell goes down to defeat at Regis; Ortiz keeps rolling for Lasers

WESTON, Mass. – The Lasell University women's basketball team dropped a 67-51 decision to Regis College Wednesday evening in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) matchup at Higgins Court.

The Pride earned their fourth straight GNAC victory to improve to 10-9 overall and 4-1 in conference play, while the Lasers dropped back to the .500 mark at 9-9 overall and 2-4 in the GNAC.

Senior Amanda Ortiz (Newton, Mass.) led all scorers with 20 points for Lasell while collecting nine rebounds and five steals. She has scored at least 12 points in every game this season, reaching the 20-point mark 11 times. Junior Precious Montgomery (Bridgeport, Conn.) recorded her fourth double-double in the last five games with 11 points and a team-high 12 rebounds.

Arie Searcy (Santa Rosa, Calif.) led the Pride with 17 points, 13 of them in the first half, on 7-of-13 shooting from the field. Mackenzie Emery (Standish, Maine) collected 13 points, five rebounds, three assists, and three steals, while fellow freshman Pam Gonzalez (Revere, Mass.) notched her third double-double of the season with 12 points and 15 rebounds to go along with five assists.

The Regis veterans also played a significant role in the victory, as Nikki Bitinaitis (Cromwell, Conn.) hit three three-pointers as she finished with 11 points and five assists, and fellow captain Taylor Iorfino (Monroe, Conn.) added nine points and seven rebounds.

The two teams exchanged baskets to open the game, but Regis took the lead for good thanks to a 9-0 scoring run. The Pride outscored the Lasers 10-4 in the final three-and-a-half minutes of the first quarter, capped by a Gonzalez three-pointer, to extend their advantage to 23-10 heading into the second quarter.

The second period saw the two teams once again exchanging points until the final two minutes, when Regis increased its lead to 18 at 44-26 with eight straight points. Bitinaitis and Shannon Kelley (Quincy, Mass.) hit consecutive three-pointers, and Marissa Prall (Hopkinton, Mass.) added a jumper to give the Pride an 18-point halftime advantage.

Bitinaitis hit a three-pointer early in the third quarter to give Regis its largest lead of the night at 47-28, but Lasell fought back, outscoring the Pride 12-9 in the third quarter to close to within 15 at 53-38. The Regis lead remained in double figures throughout the fourth quarter as the Lasers could not put any significant scoring runs together.

Lasell hosts conference leads Saint Joseph's College this Saturday, Feb. 1, at 1 p.m. Regis continues its homestand Saturday, Feb. 1, by hosting University of Saint Joseph at 12 noon.

(Contributions from Regis Sports Information)

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