The men's basketball team earned their first win of the year at the Athletic Center on Saturday afternoon, beating the Fitchburg State Falcons 73-57.
The first half was a back-and-forth battle, with neither team able to string together a good run to pull away. With the score within three for the first 18 minutes of the half, it quickly became evident that whichever squad went on their run first would come away with the win.
The last two minutes of the half significantly impacted the outcome of the game, as the Lasers’ defense would begin to put the pressure on. With the half winding down, sophomore forward Quinton Partee Jr. made a diving steal just as the shot clock expired, which led to a fast-break put-back layup by first-year guard Andy Madesko, which ignited a game-changing 8-0 Lasers run.
In the second half, Lasers picked up right where they left off, forcing turnovers and running in transition. A game that stayed within striking distance for the Falcons in the first half quickly shifted in the Lasers' favor, who played most of the second with a comfortable lead. The Lasers would lead by as much as 16, and wouldn’t look back, winning the game 73-57.
With a large lead in the second half, Head Coach Aaron Galetta got the opportunity to send in some of the many fresh faces on this year's squad, for whom junior guard Conan McCusker had nothing but praise.
“We got a lot of good young guys on this team, and it's gonna be a long season”, McCusker said. “I think they really stepped up for this being the first or second game they’ve played”.
The Lasers will look to earn their second win on Tuesday night, as they play host to Gordon College at 7 p.m.
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