Salem, MA - The Lasers took on the Vikings of Salem State on Thursday afternoon to kick off the new year. 

A slow start for the Lasers led to a low-scoring output early on. They were only able to tally 7 points in the first ten minutes, putting them in a 13-7 deficit. However, they were able to respond in the second quarter, as a 9-4 spurt brought the game within a point (17-16). Through the remaining 6 minutes in the second quarter, Salem was able to recapture some breathing room as they pushed the lead to 6 going into the halftime break. To open the third quarter back-to-back buckets from Juju Nealy brought the game back to a single point again, 28-27, as she nailed a 3-pointer and consecutive pull-up jumper. Similar to the first half, the Vikings responded with a run yet again but this time pushed the lead into double digits with a 10-0 run which led Lasell to call timeout at around the four-minute mark in the third quarter. After capturing the double-figure lead, they were able to carry it to the end of the quarter and continued to add on in the fourth as they pulled away and won in an eventual 64-43 score. 

Juju Nealy led the scoring for Lasell with 8 points. Blaize Mack had 6 points and Shirle Major chipped in 5. While no player scored in double digits in the game, 10 different Lasers recorded points.

Up Next - Lasers host their first home game and conference matchup versus Mitchell College on Saturday at 1 PM.