Men's Basketball Suffers Loss to Lasers, 75-61

PAXTON, Mass. --- The Anna Maria College men's basketball team fell to the Lasers of Lasell College, 75-61, on Saturday evening in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action. The loss drops the AMCATS to 2-10 overall and 2-3 in GNAC play. The Lasers rise to 8-4 overall and remain undefeated in the conference (5-0).

 INSIDE THE NUMBERS

Lasell shot 42.4 percent from the field (25-for-59) while the AMCATS shot 40.9 percent (27-for-66). The Lasers kept the pressure on outside of the paint, allowing the AMCATS to tally just one three-pointer in the contest. The Lasers notched eight baskets from beyond the arc. The AMCATS were outrebounded by Lasell, 46 to 32. The Lasers shot 89.5 percent from the free throw line (17-19) while the AMCATS shot just 60 percent (6-10). The AMCATS forced 22 turnovers by the visitors and converted them into 15 points. Lasell forced 17 Anna Maria turnovers and gained 23 points.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Junior guard, Liam Pickett (Oxford, Mass.) led the AMCATS in the first half with 11 points while freshman Mike Rapoza (Charlton, Mass.) chipped in with 10 points and eight boards.

Senior, Armin Omanovic led the Lasers in the first half with 15 points while his teammate, Yordan Villalon grabbed seven rebounds. John Powell and Tim Blair each tallied eight points before the break.

Rapoza added nine points and three more rebounds in the second half to earn a double-double. Freshmen Bobby Perette (Marshfield, Mass.) and Raphael Coleman (Easthampton, Mass.) added six points apiece off the bench in the final half.

Omanovic added 19 more points in the second half for a game-high total of 34 points. Powell added seven points followed by Blair with an additional six for a total of 15 points and 14 points respectively.

WHAT'S NEXT?

Anna Maria will travel to Emmanuel College for a GNAC contest on Tuesday, Jan. 10^th starting at 5:30 p.m. The Lasers host Mount Ida for a conference matchup on Tuesday, Jan. 10^th starting at 8:00 p.m.