Bangor, ME - Lasell University men's basketball opened up its 2024-25 season campaign with a road match at Husson University on Friday night. 

The Lasers who were picked as the preseason No. 4 in the GNAC faced off in a non-conference game versus the Eagles of Husson University. Husson was selected to be the No. 1 seed in the NAC and repeat as conference champions which was an indicator of a tough road matchup to start the year. That being said, the Lasers were determined to spoil the home opener and a gritty, tight back-and-forth affair was the result. In a low-scoring game, the Eagles of Husson opened up the biggest lead of the game of 9 (21-12) with 10:39 left on the clock in the first half. Lasell quickly responded with an 8-0 run which was capped by an and-one layup by Esmer Madesko. Esmer, brother of junior Andy Madesko, came out with something to prove in his first collegiate basketball game. He tallied 11 of the Lasers' 29 first-half points, after coming off the bench about 7 minutes into the game. Madesko helped cut the Laser deficit from 9 down to 2 going into the half.

In the second half, no team held a lead larger than 5, as each bucket down the stretch was crucial. The Lasers took a timeout with 2:53 on the clock trailing by a point 52-51. Out of the timeout, Esmer Madesko found Marcus Lewis on a nice back cut which gave the Lasers the lead. The next Lasers possession Madesko found Lewis again, this time behind the 3-point line, to put the Lasers up 4. Husson responded with 2 free throws, and with about 45 seconds left, Lewis found another turnaround jumper on the baseline which capped a personal 7 straight points. From here, the Eagles needed to play the foul game and elected to put freshman Esmer Madesko at the line with 13 seconds left and down by 2. Esmer stepped up to the line and calmly sank two free throws to push the lead to two possessions before a series of Husson shots fell off the mark, giving the Lasers the victory 62-58. Both Esmer and Andy Madesko finished the game tied with 13 points which was the game-high for the Lasers. Freshman Cameron Nell also finished in double figures for the Lasers with 11, as Marcus Lewis finished with a near double-double (9 pts, 8 reb). Esmer Madesko also led the Lasers in the assist category with 7.

Next up - The Lasers will host Wheaton College at home on Tuesday 11/13 at 7:30.