Rally Falls Just Short as Lasell Edges Western New England, 58-56

AUBURNDALE, Mass. (November 24, 2015) - The Western New England University women's basketball team nearly battled all the way back from a seven-point deficit with just over two minutes remaining, but Lasell College held on for a 58-56 non-conference victory this evening at the Athletic Center Gym.
 
One minute after Western New England had pulled to within two (50-48) on a layup by junior guard Sammie Battaini (Leominster, Mass.), Lasell stretched its lead back to seven as freshman Liz Bougie (Sanford, Maine) knocked down a three-pointer with 2:03 remaining in the game.
 
Junior forward Emily Anderson (Rocky Hill, Conn.) scored the next five points to cut the Golden Bears' deficit to two again (55-53), and after Lasell senior guard Katie Stopera (Hollis, N.H.) converted a pair of free throws with 15 seconds to go, senior Chelsea Vujs (Berlin, Conn.) hit a clutch three-pointer with five seconds left to bring Western New England to within one (57-56).
 
Senior guard Deanna Barrett (Berlin, Conn.) hit one of two free throws at the other end, giving the Golden Bears a chance to tie or win the game at the buzzer, but they were unable to get a shot off as Lasell held on for the two-point victory.
 
Anderson led the way for Western New England, matching the career-high that she set a week ago with 21 points on 10-of-16 shooting to go with five rebounds and two assists. Vujs also continued her strong play with her second double-double of the season and 28^th of her career, totaling 12 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. Battaini added seven points, four assists and two rebounds in 28 minutes off the bench, and sophomore guard Dorothy O'Neill (Staten Island, N.Y.) chipped in with six points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals.
 
Stopera scored a game-high 24 points for Lasell on 9-of-14 shooting, including 4-of-8 from three-point range, while also pulling down seven rebounds. Barrett finished with 11 points, nine rebounds, and four assists, while Bougie added nine points and five boards for the Lasers.
 
Neither team shot well in the first half, as Western New England hit just 32.1 percent (9-of-28) of its shots and Lasell went 9-of-25 (36.0%) from the field. Stopera was the difference for the Lasers, however, leading all players with 13 points midway through the contest on 5-of-7 shooting, including 3-of-5 from three-point range as the home team held a 30-24 edge at the break.
 
Anderson powered the Golden Bears to a 16-14 lead after one quarter with eight points in the opening ten minutes, and Western New England scored the first five points of the second quarter to claim a 21-14 advantage with 5:07 remaining before halftime. A pair of free throws by sophomore Morgan Church (New London, N.H.) at the 4:19 mark, however, sparked a 16-3 Lasell run to close out the half, capped by a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Stopera.
 
The Golden Bears were able to cut two points off their deficit by the end of the third quarter, and finally pulled even (46-46) on a jumper by O'Neill at the 6:12 mark of the fourth.
Western New England ended up shooting 40 percent (24-of-60) for the game, but hit just 2-of-12 (16.7%) of its three-pointers and also struggled at the free throw line, going 6-of-13 (46.2%). Lasell shot 20-of-52 (38.5%) from the floor and knocked down 9-of-31 (29%) attempts from long range.
 
Western New England (2-3, 0-0 CCC) returns to action next Wednesday night with its Commonwealth Coast Conference opener at Gordon College, while Lasell (3-2, 0-0 GNAC) hosts MCLA on Monday night.