Newton, MA - The Lasell men's basketball team squared off against the Raiders of Rivier University on Wednesday.

Esmer Madesko found his way into the paint late in the shot clock on the first offensive possession for the Lasers to break open the scoring. Through the first several minutes both teams held small leads and the game was tied on multiple occasions. At the under 12-minute media timeout, the Lasers led 15-13. A Marcus Lewis layup out of the timeout then fueled the start of an 11-0 Laser run, putting them up 6-13 after Andy Madesko nailed a transition wing 3-pointer. The Raiders were able to make a run of their own though as a 9-0 stretch shortly after brought the lead down to 1. As the half came to a close, the Lasers regained some breathing room with a 46-39 advantage at the break. 

Rivier opened the second half strong, rattling off the first 5 points of the half bringing the game to within 4, 48-44. An Andy and Esmer Madesko response followed with the two brothers combining for 7 straight and making it a double-digit Laser lead once again, 57-46. As quickly as that happened though, Rivier threw a blow right back going on a 10-0 run bringing the Lasers to just a 1-point edge yet again. Another burst from the Madesko brothers put them back up 8 after scoring another compliment of buckets at around the halfway point of the period. From this point, the Lasers continued to hold a two-possession lead not allowing the Raiders to get back within one score. Being up 6 with just over 3 minutes left, it was the two brothers who added key buckets and free throws to ice the game and help the Lasers to a 92-81 victory. 

Esmer (27) and Andy (20) Madesko were the leading scorers for the Lasers on Wednesday combining for 47 of the 92 Laser points. Che Hanks (13) and Karim Belhouchet (10) also posted double-figure scoring outings for the Lasers. As a team, the Lasers had an efficient night at the charity stripe where they sunk 81.5% (22-27) free throws which was a big part of the win. 

Up Next - The Lasers will travel to Regis on Saturday afternoon to face the Pride.