NEWTON, Mass - Regis College was overwhelmed by Lasell University, losing to the Lasers, 92-78, Tuesday night in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball game at the Athletic Center.
Russell Rau (Fitchburg, Mass.) was the Pride's leading scorer with 23 points and seven rebounds. Justin Evelyn (Uniondale, N.Y.) added 14 points while Tate Pike (Bellingham, Mass.) contributed 12 points coming off the bench. Devante Thompson (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) finished with 11 points while grabbing six rebounds and dishing out five assists while Joshua Perez (Lynn, Mass.) added eight points.
The Pride fired off to a red-hot start when Rau got things started with a three-pointer early in the contest before Evelyn made an additional two threes to give Regis a 9-1 lead with only two minutes elapsed from the game clock. As the Lasers closed the distance Rau and Evelyn kept the home team at bay as Rau knocked down another three and Evelyn hit three straight free throws after being fouled behind the arc.
Later in the first half, a dunk by Jamir Harvey (Robbins, Ill.) put the Pride up by nine just before Pike fired off five quick points and Evelyn hit his third three of the half. The Lasers worked their way back into the game thanks to a three-pointer by EJ Day and a dunk by Quinton Partree Jr. Andrew Carbal knocked down another three with just seconds remaining in the first half to tie the score at 38 points apiece.
Lasell took its first lead of the night early in the second half when Conan McCusker knocked down a three-pointer to put the home team up, 41-38. A few minutes later Perez returned the favor, knocking down another three to retake the lead for the Pride. From there the game went back and forth with multiple lead changes.
In the latter half of the second, Day took control for the Lasers hitting four threes in the second half alone while dishing out three assists, finishing with 26 points in the half. Lasell managed to outscore the Pride by 14 in the second half as the Lasers' surge proved too much for the visitors leaving Regis ti ultimately fall short.
Day paved the way for Lasell scoring 31 points while shooting 5-for-6 behind the three-point line and adding seven assists. Partee Jr. contributed 18 points while Davon Bradley finished with 11.
Regis College (0-0,0-0 GNAC) rematch the University of Saint Joseph in a road contest on Thursday, January 19, beginning at 7:00 p.m. before continuing the season with another road game at Elms on Saturday, January 21, tip-off at 3:00 p.m.