AUBURNDALE, Mass. -- Senior forward Presley Silva (Wilmington, Mass.) poured in a career-high 27 points, but a three-pointer as time expired gave the host Lasell College women's basketball team a 67-64 victory over Simmons College this afternoon in Great Northeast Athletic Conference play at the Lasell Athletic Center in Auburndale, Mass. The Sharks fall to 1-11 overall and 1-6 in league action, while the Lasers improve to 3-10 and 1-5.
The game-winning three-pointer from Lasell was one of 11 for the game as the Lasers shot 11-26 (42.3%) from beyond the arc. Lasell erased a six-point deficit heading into the fourth quarter and outscored Simmons, 25-16, in the final period of play to earn the victory.
Silva was 11-15 from the floor and added 12 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the year and third straight to go with three steals, an assist and a blocked shot to lead the Sharks. Her 27 points were the most scored by a Simmons player since Jennifer Janiak netted 30 at Fisher College on January 6, 2015. Junior guard Rebekah Carroll (Londonderry, N.H.) nearly posted a triple-double with 11 points and career-highs of nine rebounds and eight assists in addition to a pair of steals.
Senior Morgan Church (New London, N.H.) finished with 25 points and six steals to lead the Lasers, her third 20-point game in her last four outings, while senior Brianna Hoffman (Milford, N.H.) added 17 points. Both connected on three three-point shots in the victory. Sophomore Dana Ross (East Haven, Conn.) reached double figures in rebounds for Lasell with 11.
Simmons led most of the third quarter and later owned a 55-48 margin with 7:42 to go in the fourth quarter. The Lasers put together a 9-2 run and tied the contest at 57-57 when Hoffman drained a three-pointer with 5:53 to play in the quarter. Lasell scored seven of the next eight points to take a 64-58 advantage with 2:31 remaining in the game. The Sharks battled back with six straight points and knotted the contest at 64-64 following a pair of free throws from Carroll with 83 seconds left in the game. After a Lasell timeout with 20 seconds on the clock, Church drove the lane and dished to Hoffman in the corner, and Hoffman's shot from beyond the arc hit nothing but net as the horn sounded to give the home team the win.
Lasell controlled most of the first quarter and led by as many as seven at 19-12 with just over a minute to go after a three-pointer by junior Becca Fenton (East Hartford, Conn.). Silva hit a basket and a free throw in the final minute for Simmons to cut the margin to 19-15 after one.
Simmons scored the first 11 points of the second quarter while keeping the home team off the scoreboard for nearly five minutes to open up a seven-point margin at 26-19 with 5:51 showing on the second quarter clock. Hoffman broke the drought for Lasell and Church hit back-to-back baskets, including a long-range shot, to tie the game at 26-all with three minutes to go. The teams traded baskets before Simmons took a 31-30 lead into the locker room.
The Sharks led by six points (39-33) in the early-going of the third quarter and after Lasell tied it at 39-39, Simmons pushed its lead back up to seven points (48-41) with just under three minutes to go. The Lasers managed just two points in the final four minutes of the quarter and trailed by six (48-42) heading into the fourth.
Both teams are back on the court on Tuesday, January 23 with conference matchups as the Sharks head across the city to take on Boston rival Suffolk University for a 7:00 p.m. tip and Lasell travels to Paxton, Mass. to take on Anna Maria College at 5:30 p.m.