FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
#1 Albertus Magnus 97, #4 Lasell 86
NEW LONDON, Conn. – Lasell College had five players score in double figures Thursday evening but couldn't overcome a combined 63 points from sophomore Jahmerikah Green-Younger (Norwalk, Conn.) and senior Jaqhawn Walters (Hartford, Conn.) as top-seeded Albertus Magnus College held off the fourth-seeded Lasers, 97-86, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball semifinal at the Cosgrove Marcus Messer Athletic Center.
Green-Younger scored a game-high 32 points and Walters added 31 points and 16 rebounds for the Falcons (21-5), who advance to their seventh straight GNAC title game. Senior Amir Maddred (Camden, N.J.) added a double-double with 21 points (on 9-of-13 shooting) and 14 rebounds.
Sophomore Stefan Masciarelli (Northbridge, Mass.) led the Lasers with 24 points, while senior Scott Arsenault (Walpole, Mass.) scored 19, draining five three-point field goals (5-of-9). Junior Tim Blair (Newington, Conn.) added 14 points, freshman Victor Collazo (Clearwater, Fla.) chipped in with 11 points off the bench, and senior Derek McMahon (Hatfield, Mass.) finished with 10 points.
Albertus Magnus will host second-seeded Johnson & Wales University (18-9) in Saturday's GNAC Championship game. The Falcons defeated Lasell in last year's title game, 101-83, and Johnson & Wales downed Albertus Magnus for the championship two years ago, 86-75.
The Falcons led most of the first half, pulling ahead by 10 points (17-7) less than five minutes into the game. The lead stretched to 15 points (30-15) with 11:30 showing on the first-half clock, but Lasell bounced back with a 13-1 run over the next five minutes to pull to within three points (31-28). Collazo sparked the Laser run with six points, while freshman Liam Jacobs (Plainfield, Conn.) added four points and Blair made three free throws.
Lasell came all the way back to tie the score at 33-all after a basket by Masciarelli with just under six minutes remaining, but Albertus answered with 14 unanswered points, including four points apiece from Walters and Maddred and three-pointers from Green-Younger and junior Ryan Pittman (Stratford, Conn.). Lasell kept battling and outscored the hosts 8-2 in the final two minutes, including a pair of three-pointers by Arsenault, cutting the deficit to 49-41 at the intermission.
Albertus led by 11 points (61-50) five minutes into the second half but Lasell would not go away quietly, scoring 10 of the game's next 11 points to pull to within two points (62-60) with 13-and-a-half minutes to play, and forcing a Falcons timeout. The Lasers pulled even at 68-all at the midway point of the second half.
The teams traded baskets over the next five minutes, and Albertus had just a three-point margin (80-77) with five minutes to play. Lasell missed two potential game-tying three-pointers and Green-Younger made back-to-back threes for the Falcons to push the lead up to nine points (86-77) with just over three minutes remaining. The Lasers got back to within six points again (90-84) after a Blair three-pointer, but Lasell missed four straight shots from beyond the arc in an attempt to cut into the deficit.
The hosts sealed the win by making 5-of-6 free throws in the final minute and capped it off with a breakway dunk by Walters with 24 seconds remaining.
Lasell finished the season with a 13-14 overall record, falling short of winning its first GNAC Championship since 2008.
Courtesy of Lasell Athletics Communications
#2 Johnson & Wales (RI) 80, #3 Suffolk 74
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A strong second-half performance by the Johnson & Wales University men's basketball team propelled the Wildcats to the GNAC Tournament championship game. JWU outscored Suffolk 41-33 in the second half to defeat the Rams, 80-74, on Thursday.
Records:
Suffolk: 15-12
Johnson & Wales: 18-9
Statistical Leaders:
Randall Ferdinand (JWU): 22 points
Brian Hogan-Gary (JWU): 30 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists
Thomas Duffy (SU): 33 points, 4 assists
Of Note:
Suffolk didn't miss a shot for the first seven minutes in establishing a 19-12 lead on a Jim Djema three-pointer. JWU slowly chipped away at the Rams' margin, taking a 28-27 advantage on a Jarell Lawson layup at the six-minute mark. Suffolk shot 66.7 percent in the first half.
It was contrasting offensive styles in the first half as Suffolk scored 12 points behind the arc while Johnson & Wales worked the ball inside for 24 points in the paint. The Rams took a 41-39 advantage in the locker room.
Johnson & Wales started the second half by outscoring the Rams, 12-3, to take a 51-44 advantage on back-to-back Lawson three-pointers. The lead grew to as many as nine on a Randall Ferdinand layup.
Thomas Duffy hit a three-pointer at the 2:25 mark to pull the Rams within 74-72, but Matt Madoian came up with a three-pointer and Brian Hogan-Gary stole the ball on the ensuing possession for a breakaway dunk to seal the victory. Johnson & Wales shot 62.1 percent in the second half while holding Suffolk to 40.7 percent.
Hogan-Gary just missed a double-double with 30 points and a game-high eight rebounds. Johnson & Wales had a 33-12 rebounding advantage. Ferdinand was next with 22 points – his third 20-point game in a row.
Leading all scorers was Duffy as he poured in 33 points. Djema was next with 17 as the two accounted for 68 percent of Suffolk's scoring.
Up Next:
The victory sets up a championship showdown at Albertus Magnus on Saturday. The two teams split this year's regular season contests with both teams winning at home. The Falcons and Wildcats have won the last eight GNAC championships.
Courtesy of JWU Athletics Communications
Tuesday, February 20 - Quarterfinals
Game 1: #1 Albertus Magnus 87, #8 Anna Maria 66 | BOX
Game 2: #4 Lasell 88, #5 Regis (Mass.) 72 | BOX
Game 3: #6 Suffolk 69, #3 Saint Joseph's Maine 65 | BOX
Game 4: #2 Johnson & Wales (RI) 77, #7 Norwich 72 | BOX
Thursday, February 22 - Semifinals
Game 5: #1 Albertus Magnus 97, #4 Lasell 86 | BOX
Game 6: #2 Johnson & Wales (RI) 80, #6 Suffolk 74 | BOX
Saturday, February 24 - Final
Game 7: #2 Johnson & Wales (RI) at #1 Albertus Magnus - 1:00 p.m.
Founded in 1995, the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 13 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Each year, the GNAC sponsors and administers 20 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunities and community involvement.
– #TheGNAC –