NEWTON, Mass. – Mount Ida College headed across town to Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) foe Lasell College on Thursday evening, but were unable to hold down the Lasers and suffered an 85-65 defeat in men's basketball action.
Despite 18 points and two blocks from freshman Patrick McKearney (Avon, Conn.), the Mustangs fell to 1-5 (0-2 GNAC), thanks in part to the hosts shooting 11-22 from behind the three-point line.
Freshman Jamontay Thompson (Apopka, Fla.) was the catalyst for Lasell (2-4, 1-1 GNAC), as he poured in a game-high 19 points and made four of his five attempts from downtown in 23 minutes off of the bench.
The hosts seized control of the game in the middle of the first half with a 21-2 run that gave them a 42-15 advantage with 4:15 left to play.
The lead never dipped back to twenty points until the final buzzer of regulation, in which Mustang guard Joey DeFillippi (Bristol, Conn.) hit a running half-court shot to provide the final score-line.
Guards Brendan Cunningham (Quincy, Mass.) and Jayson Clark (Austin, Texas) added 11 points apiece for Mount Ida, with Cunningham grabbing a team-high five rebounds and collecting three steals.
DeFillippi added nine points and first year John Oliver (North Babylon, N.Y.) had eight points off the bench.
Pat Marchand (Cranston, R.I.) was the only starter in double-figures for Lasell, scoring 16 points and adding two blocks, but the Lasers got 51 points off their bench and out-rebounded the Mustangs 43-24.
Yordan Villalon (Miami, Fla.) scored 13 points for the home team on a perfect 5-5 from the field, and Brock Walters (Jacksonville, Fla.) nailed four of seven three-pointers to contribute fourteen points.
Clark handed out five assists for Mount Ida, while guard Anthony Simmons (Stamford, Conn.) led all players with six dimes, and scored seven points.
The Mustangs have a pair of home games before Winter Break, beginning on Saturday afternoon when they look for their first GNAC win against Emmanuel at 1:00 pm.
The Lasers head to Johnson & Wales at the same time as they finish their 2014 schedule with two road contests.