Ray Askew (Hamden, Conn.) scored a career-high 52 points as the Albertus Magnus men's basketball team came from behind to defeat Lasell 76-73 on Saturday afternoon in Boston.
Askew shot 16-of-33 from the floor and 19-of-29 from the free-throw line to finish the Great Northeast Athletic Conference game in double-figures for the 21st time this season.
The win marks the Falcons' 17th-straight as they move to 22-1 on the year and a perfect 16-0 in league play. The Falcons are now just one win away from tying the program's single-season record in wins at 23 (2009-10). Today's victory also marks the sixth-straight win against the Lasers dating back to the 2009-10 season.
The first half featured 14 lead changes as the game went back and forth before Lasell took as much as an eight-point lead in the final three minutes of the frame. Lasell led by six at 39-33 at the break as Javon Williams scored 19 first-half points on 7-of-9 shooting to lead the Lasers.
The Falcons came out in the second half and shot 57.1-percent from the floor, led by 25 points from Askew and 10 points from Arshad Jackson (Hartford, Conn.).
Lasell took a 16-point lead at 57-41 at the 14:31 mark of the second half, their largest of the day, before the Falcons were able to make their comeback. Albertus put together a 19-0 run in a span of 5:51 to take a three-point lead at the 8:40 mark of the second half. That three-point advantage was their first lead of the frame. During the run, Askew scored nine points, while Jackson added seven.
After tying the game at 71 with 2:09 to go in the contest, two Askew layups and a Jackson free-throw clinched the Albertus victory as the Falcons ended the game on a 5-2 run.
Today's 52-point effort marks the eighth game this season that Askew has scored 30 or more points and the 10th time he has registered a double-double. Jackson has also contributed with 13 games in double figure scoring.
With 2,153 career points, Askew is now just 81 shy of the Albertus Magnus men's basketball record of 2,234 held by Tim Russell '05. The senior, who already holds the Albertus and GNAC record in total rebounds, used today's tally of 10 to extend his career total to 1,119. Askew now holds the most rebounds in school history, surpassing women's basketball standout Natalia Perlaza '05, who registered 1,114 rebounds in her four-year career at Albertus.
Albertus will head to Providence, R.I. on Tuesday night to take on Johnson & Wales for the second time this season. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. In their previous meeting on Jan. 16, Albertus downed the Wildcats 109-88 in league action.
