Senior Lianna Carrero (Hamden, Conn.) scored a game-high 33 points but the Albertus Magnus women's basketball team fell short at Lasell College in Newton, Mass. on Saturday afternoon in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play.
A lay-up by Lasell's Danielle Autencio with 1:02 left on the clock, followed by two free throws from Autencio, gave the Lasers' their eighth win on the season as they improved to 1-2 in league play with the victory. Albertus fell to 3-15 overall and 0-4 in the GNAC standings with the loss.
Lasell took a 12-4 lead from the opening tip before an Albertus timeout. The Falcons' battled back to within a point of the Lasers and remained close before taking a 27-26 lead with 2:43 left in the half on a Carrero jump shot. Lasell put together a 9-6 run to finish out the frame, taking a 35-33 lead into the intermission.
The Falcons tied the game at 35 immediately in the second half on a Nicole Acerra (East Haven, Conn.) lay-up 26 seconds into the frame. From that point on, play went back-and-forth. The Falcons held its largest lead on the game of six points with 13:01 left in the second half before Lasell rallied to take a late lead.
Autencio's lay-up put Lasell up 66-65 with just over a minute to go. The Falcons turned the ball over with 16 seconds left on the clock before fouling quickly. Two missed free throws by Lasell's Breanna Williams gave the Falcons some hope late in the game, but after the second miss, Albertus could not grab ahold of the rebound, which forced the Falcons to foul once again. Autencio hit both free throws to secure a 68-65 victory for the Lasers.
Carrero played 37 minutes and hit 10-of-22 from the field and 11-of-12 from the free-throw line. The senior has registered 17-of-18 games this season in double-figures. She has also scored 30 or more points in seven contests and has tallied 20 or more points in the last four-straight games.
Kelsey Pendagast (Shelton, Conn.) tallied seven rebounds and four points, while Acerra added eight boards to lead the team. Aaliyah Bohannon (Bridgeport, Conn.) played 16 minutes and tallied five points and four rebounds before fouling out of the contest.
Lasell was led by Autencio with nine points and 13 rebounds, while Alexis Chappell had 26 points. Katie Stopera added seven points and 11 rebounds.
The Falcons return to action on Thursday, Jan. 30 when they host Johnson & Wales in a 7:00 p.m. contest.
