MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – Staring at a 70-61 deficit with just over four minutes remaining, the Wesleyan men's basketball team rattled off 13 unanswered points to take a lead and some clutch free throw makes down the stretch proved enough in an 82-79 win over Lasell on Tuesday night from Silloway Gymnasium. Wesleyan improves to 6-2 overall and 3-0 at home this season while the Lasers fall to 4-6.
Dealing with shooting woes throughout, the Cardinals shot less than 28 percent from the floor in the first half and yet, Wesleyan trailed by just four at halftime as the Cardinals crashed the boards at will, finishing +18 for the game (53-35) including a decisive 22-8 advantage in offensive rebounds. All those second chance points kept Wesleyan in the game and made the comeback possible.
Lasell held a lead all throughout the second half and seemed to be taking full control late, scoring on four straight possessions to hold a 70-61 lead with 4:32 remaining. Wesleyan called timeout and played a dominant three-minute stretch to turn a nine-point deficit into a four-point lead heading into the final minute.
That 13-0 run started with
Zach Wolinski '28 grabbing an offensive rebound and swinging the ball to
Oscar Edelman '28 who was fouled and stepped to the line to sink both free throws. Edelman then blocked an Esmer Madesko layup in the paint and 12 seconds later,
Ben Lyttle '27 hit from deep to make it 70-66. Another Wesleyan block followed, again on Esmer Madesko as Lyttle stuffed the driving layup. Lyttle then grabbed his own miss on a three-point attempt, which paid dividends as Edelman connected on a triple at the top of of the key to make it a one-point game.
Lasell came up empty again on the next possession and for the third straight trip, Wesleyan sunk a three, as Wolinski spotted up from the corner and hit nothing but net to give Wesleyan their first lead of the second half. Andy Madesko crucially missed both free throws on the next Laser possession and was made to pay as Edelman hit a floater to hand the Cardinals a four-point lead with 1:16 left.
The Lasers finally found some offense, with Che Hanks hitting from deep to lower the gap to one, but
Josh Cameron '27 stepped to the line and made both free throws just 14 seconds later to restore the three-point advantage. It remained a three-point game with six seconds left as Wolinski made six consecutive free throws to keep the Cardinals in front. Wesleyan chose to foul with a three-point lead and just over six seconds left and Esmer missed the front end of a one & one, but RJ Jones grabbed an offensive rebound to give the Lasers one last chance to send the game into overtime. On the ensuing inbounds pass,
Jackson Cormier '26 stepped in front of the inbounds to grab the game-ending steal and hand the Cardinals a come-from-behind win.
Wesleyan defeated the Lasers despite holding a lead for just 1:49 minutes in the second half. The Cardinals shot just 33.8 percent from the floor for the game and 25 percent from three, but benefitted from an outstanding 26-for-29 (89.7 percent) showing at the free throw line while Lasell went 5-for-11 (45.5 percent) from the charity stripe in the game.
Wolinski scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half, finishing 10-for-10 from the free throw line while adding seven rebounds and five assists with no turnovers. Pohlman added 15 points and eight rebounds (five offensive), Lyttle totaled 12 points and 11 rebounds (eight offensive), and Edelman tallied 11 points and nine rebounds.
Fritz Hauser '26 went 3-for-5 from three on his way to nine points, five rebounds, three assists, three blocks, and two steals.
A busy week for Wesleyan continues on Thursday with a trip to face Salem State at 5 PM. This marks the first meeting between the two sides since 2015.
