WBK: Lasell falls to St. Joe’s, Conn.; Ortiz posts double-double for Lasers

NEWTON, Mass. – The University of Saint Joseph (Connecticut) outscored Lasell University 10-0 in the final two and a half minutes of the game Tuesday evening to pull out a 72-71 victory over the Lasers in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's basketball contest at the Lasell Athletic Center.

The Blue Jays improve to 10-11 overall and 2-5 in the GNAC while Lasell drops to 9-11 overall and 2-6 in conference play.

Senior Amanda Ortiz (Newton, Mass.) posted her seventh double-double of the season for Lasell with a game-high 21 points and 10 rebounds, making 9-of-13 shots from the field. Juniors Meg Carroll (Douglas, Mass.) and Peyton Young (Douglas, Mass.) added 12 and 11 points off the Laser bench, respectively, and junior Precious Montgomery (Bridgeport, Conn.) chipped in with nine points and 10 boards.

Junior Raelynn Voislow (Windsor Locks, Conn.) led the Blue Jays with 20 points, draining 5-of-9 from three-point range. Sophomore Katelyn Vazquez (Manchester, Conn.) scored 17 points and grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds, while freshman Meredith Forman (Bristol, Conn.) added 13 points and junior Anna Chevarella (Derby, Conn.) contributed 10 points off the bench.

Lasell led the majority of the game, holding a 17-9 lead after one quarter and a 35-25 margin at the half. The Lasers pulled ahead by 16 points after three quarters, 57-41, before the Blue Jays rallied in the final 10 minutes.

The visitors cut the margin down to 10 points (66-56) with five minutes on the clock, and Lasell held a nine-point lead (71-62) after a Carroll lay-up with 2:35 on the clock. That would end up as the final bucket for the Lasers as they turned the ball over four times and missed two shots on their final six possessions.

A basket by Vazquez and back-to-back threes by sophomore Silvana Barcomb (Middletown, Conn.) and Chevarella made it a one-point game, 71-70, with a minute to play. Voislow made one of two free throws to tie the game with 33 seconds to go, and Vazquez did the same with four seconds remaining to secure the win as Lasell couldn't get off a final shot.

Lasell shot a season-best 51.9 percent from the field, compared to 32.8 percent for USJ, but the Blue Jays were 10-of-21 from beyond the arc.

Prior to the game, Lasell honored its four seniors on Senior Night – Ortiz, D'Asia Allen (Providence, R.I.), Dana Ross (East Haven, Conn.) and Taylor Churchill (Fort Fairfield, Maine).

Both teams are back in GNAC action on Saturday, February 8, at 1 p.m., as the Lasers travel to Colby-Sawyer College and the Blue Jays return home to host Saint Joseph's College (Maine).

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