MOUNT IDA MEN'S BASKETBALL
Saturday, January 6, 2018
Athletic Center, Auburndale, Mass.
FINAL: LASELL 96, MOUNT IDA 93
AUBURNDALE, Mass. -- Freshman Liam Jacobs's (Plainfield, Conn.) jumper with 37 seconds remaining proved to be the game-winner as Lasell overcame a 16-point second half deficit to notch a 96-93 Great Northeast Athletic Conference men's basketball victory over Mount Ida Saturday afternoon at the Athletic Center.
The host Lasers (4-7, 2-0 GNAC) trailed for the first 31-plus minutes of play, as the visiting Mustangs (7-4, 1-1 GNAC) scored the first nine points of the contest and built a 16-point first half advantage before settling for a 51-41 lead at the break. Mount Ida maintained a 66-50 edge after a conventional three-point play by freshman Kevin Nunez (Dorchester, Mass.) with 15:14 remaining in the contest, but Lasell responded with a 27-10 run over the next 6:18 of action and took its first lead of the day (77-76) on sophomore Stefan Masciarelli's (Northbridge, Mass.) jumper with 8:56 to play.
The hosts extended that margin to five points on a pair of occasions, the last coming at 89-84 on a Jacobs jumper with 4:53 left in the game, but the visitors stormed back to score seven of the game's next nine points and knot the score at 91 with 1:38 remaining on a pair of free throws by senior Errald Jordine (Stamford, Conn.). Jacobs gave the lead back to the Lasers 12 seconds later with a jumper, but senior Kevin Conner (Mansfield, Mass.) again evened matters for the Mustangs by canning two free throws on the ensuing possession. Following a timeout, Jacobs provided the heroics for Lasell with his 14th point of the game, and following a missed three-pointer and a turnover, he added a free throw with three seconds to play that accounted for the final margin, as Mount Ida's game-tying trey fell short.
Masciarelli scored a game-high 34 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out five assists to lead three players in double figures for Lasell, which received 22 points and nine boards from junior Tim Blair (Newington, Conn.). Jacobs finished with 15 points, eight caroms and four blocks for the Lasers, who received nine points and six rebounds from junior Brandon Vila (Jersey City, N.J.) along with seven points and three assists from senior Scott Arsenault (Walpole, Mass.). The hosts shot 55 percent (39-71) from the field overall and canned 13 three-pointers on the day (including a combined eight from Masciarelli and Blair), as Lasell scored 27 fast break points and held a 46-40 rebounding advantage for the contest.
Senior Joey DeFillippi (Bristol, Conn.) led five players in double figures with 20 points, five assists and four steals in the setback for Mount Ida, which received 18 points and seven boards from Jordine along with 18 points, eight assists, five caroms and three steals from senior Jayson Clark (Austin, Tex.). Junior Dennis Ross (Portland, Maine) chipped in with 11 points and five rebounds for the Mustangs, who also received 10 points and seven boards from Nunez. Conner collected nine points on the day for the visitors, who shot 41 percent (32-77) from the floor and connected for 14 three-pointers (including four each by Jordine, DeFillippi and Clark), as Mount Ida held a 15-5 scoring advantage at the foul line for the afternoon.
Mount Ida heads to New Haven, Conn. on Tuesday evening to take on Albertus Magnus in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference clash that tips-off at 7:00 p.m., while Lasell hosts Emmanuel in a GNAC outing on Thursday evening at the Athletic Center that also begins at 7:00 p.m.