Box Score DUDLEY, Mass. (Dec. 9) – Led by four players in double-digit scoring including 19 from sophomore Sean Bertanza, the Lasell College men's basketball team held off Nichols College for a 66-64 non-conference victory Thursday night. The win marked the first of the season for the Lasers, putting them at 1-7 on the year, while the Bison dropped to 2-7.

Bison sophomore Justin Kuntz (Wallingford, Conn.) was not to be outdone, scoring a career-high 21 points on 9-12 shooting. Senior Daniel Taylor (Westhampton, Mass.) pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds to go with four points.

Lasell junior Derrick Harper had the only double-double on the night with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Also in double figures for the Lasers were freshman Robert Roy and junior Javon Williams with 12 points each.

It was a very competitive first half. The biggest lead for either team was eight when Kuntz hit a right handed floater in the lane to put the Bison up 25-17. Lasell fired right back with a 9-0 run to take the lead for the first time in about 12 minutes. Tied at 26, Lasell sophomore Jordan Fuller hit a three-pointer to put the Lasers up 29-26 heading into the break.

The momentum from the first half carried over into the early portions of the second half for Lasell. The Lasers increased their halftime lead of three to 10 by 15:25 of the second frame, but Kuntz got Nichols back into the game scoring seven straight points on the backside of an 11-1 run by the Bison. The score was tied at 41 with 11:23 remaining in the game

This one proved to be a game of runs as Lasell went on an 11-2 run of their own just minutes later to go back up by nine. The Bison closed to within one point late, but turned the ball over on their last two possessions as the Lasers came away with the two point victory.

Free throws were a major issue for the Bison on the evening, as Nichols shot 3-11 from the charity stripe in the first half and managed to finish the game shooting 42.3% from the line at 11-26.

The Bison won the rebounding battle, however, holding a 41-34 edge, and parlayed 16 Lasers turnovers into 25 points.

The Bison look to rebound this Saturday against Clark, while the Lasers will go for their second straight win against Norwich also on Saturday.

Box Score