Men's Basketball Falls to Lasell in GNAC Semifinals

NEWTON, Mass. – The third-seeded University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's basketball team saw their 2024-25 season come to a close, falling in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Semifinals to second-seeded Lasell University (Lasell), 80-69, Thursday night inside the Lasell Athletic Center in Newton, Mass. With the result, the Blue Jays concluded the 2024-25 season 19-8 overall, while the Lasers moved to 21-6 overall and advanced to the GNAC Championship Game for the first time since the 2016-17 season.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• USJ got off to a hot start, taking an 11-2 lead after senior guard Kevin Cummings sunk a second-chance layup at the 14:10 mark.
• Lasell would fire back, utilizing an 8-2 stretch to cut the gap to three, 15-12, with 12:16 on the clock.
• USJ answered with a 7-2 run, featuring a jumper from junior forward Friedrich Feldrappe (Berlin, Germany) and a triple by Cummings, breaking open a 22-14 edge with 7:50 left in the half.
• The Blue Jays extended the gap to double-digits, as junior guard Lence Altenor (Everett, Mass.) and freshman forward Adelphe Cisse (pointe-Noire, Congo) combined four a four-point stretch to establish a 26-14 advantage with 6:28 on the clock.
• However, the Lasers would use a 15-2 stretch to gain the lead for the first time, 29-28, with 1:23 left in the half.
• The two teams would trade buckets late, as Lasell took a 31-30 advantage into the halftime break.
• USJ and Lasell continued to battle back-and-forth to open the second half, as Lasell maintained a one-point lead after a Cisse layup at the 15:05 mark, 42-41.
• The layup sparked a quick 7-0 run, featuring an Altenor triple, that saw USJ regain the lead, 46-42, and force a Lasell timeout with 14:11 on the clock.
• The lead would not last long, as the Lasers utilized an 8-2 stretch to regain the lead, 56-51, and force a USJ timeout with 9:03 left to play.
• USJ gained momentum out of the break in play, tying the game at 58-58 after a sophomore forward Jalen Holmes (Cherry Hill, N.J.) three at the eight-minute mark.
• The game remained close, as Lasell regained the advantage, 66-62, and forced another USJ timeout at the 5:27 mark.
• The Blue Jays would close the gap back to two, 67-65, after a freshman guard Jakari Tertulien (Bridgeport, Conn.) dunk with 3:43 on the clock, but the visitors would not be able to level the score, as Lasell held on for the victory, 80-69.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE 

• Cisse paced the team with 21 points.
• Altneor joined him in double-figures, scoring 16 points.
• Feldrappe hauled in a team-high nine rebounds.
• Lasell outshot USJ, 48.3 percent (28-of-58) to 43.5 percent (27-of-62).
• The Blue Jays outrebounded Lasell, 36-33.
• The Lasers took 28 free throws on the night, compared to USJ's 13 attempts.
• The loss marks the first time in program history that the Blue Jays will not be playing in the GNAC Championship game.

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