NORTHFIELD, Vt. - Jaime Crawford scored a
game-high 22 points, and Jose Guitan added 19 points, eight
rebounds and six assists as Lasell defeated Norwich, 82-70, in a
GNAC men's basketball game Thursday evening at Andrews Hall.
Dwayne Powell added 12 points and seven rebounds for the Lasers,
who swept the two-game season series from the Cadets.
Jerrold Williams and Mike Filipek led Norwich with 15 points
apiece, while Jamel Bedford chipped in 14 points and a team-high
eight rebounds. Jermaine Lattimore put forth an inspired effort off
the bench, adding eight points and seven rebounds. Jaren Jeffcoat,
meanwhile, contributed seven points.
Lasell (12-8, 9-4 GNAC) got out of the gates quickly, taking a
7-0 lead less than three minutes into the contest. Norwich (11-9,
7-7 GNAC) responded with seven unanswered points to tie the game at
7-7 at the 15:55 mark. Williams scored five of the Cadets seven
points as NU got right back into the game.
The Lasers reestablished control with a 20-5 run over the next
10 minutes to grab a 27-12 advantage with 5:52 to play before
halftime. Seven straight points by the Norwich brought the Cadets
back to within 27-19 at the 4:13 mark, but Lasell ended the period
on an 11-7 spurt to take a 38-26 lead into the locker room.
Lasell made 53.6 percent of its field goal attempts in the first
half, while Norwich hit just 33.3 percent of its shots from the
floor.
Norwich opened the second half on a 5-2 spurt to pull to within
nine points at 40-31 at the 17:54 mark. Five straight points by
Lasell built the Lasers lead back up to 45-31 moments later, but NU
got its deficit back nine at the 14:02 mark (49-40) following a 9-4
run.
Lasell answered back with a 7-2 burst to take a 56-42 lead at
the 11:55 mark, and the Lasers held a double-digit lead the rest of
the way.
Both teams shot the ball well in the second half with Norwich
hitting 53.3 percent of its field goal attempts and Lasell cashing
in on 50.0 percent of its shots.
Norwich returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 9, when the Cadets
travel to Nashua, N.H., to take on GNAC rival Daniel Webster.
Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m.
