WORCESTER -- WPI men's basketball scored the first eight points of the game, but then needed a J.R. Newman (Havertown, PA) layup with 16.2 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime where the Engineers rattled off the first 12 points of the extra session as the Crimson and Gray rallied to defeat visiting Lasell 81-69 in the season opener for both teams inside Harrington Auditorium on Saturday evening.
 
The triumph marked the 23rd straight opening night victory for the Boynton Hillers under 25-year head coach Chris Bartley.  WPI fell in Bartley's debut in 2001-02 and have won every season opener since. The Engineers did not play in 2020-21 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
 
While the entire second half was played within a 10-point window with neither team leading by more than five points during the second session, the Lasers led 58-54 after Esmer Madesko (Atlanta, GA) connected on a layup with 2:37 to go.  The Engineers turned to Newman and the senior delivered the final seven of the host's points in regulation, producing points on four of WPI's final six possessions including the layup with 16 seconds remaining to level the game at 61-61. After Newman's hoop,  Lasell advanced the ball into the front court, and after a timeout, missed a shot at the buzzer necessitatingovertime.
 
In the extra session, it was WPI's Nathan Bledsoe (San Antonio, Texas) who took centerstage.  After a Justin Molen (Newark, DE) bucket to start overtime, the Engineers forced three straight possessions of Lasell missed 3-pointers on the other end of the floor, followed directly by a Bledsoe basket, including a pair of trifectas.  The junior closed out the 12-0 run to start overtime with a pair of free throws with 2:29 to run.  The host would only see its lead trimmed to single digits once the rest of the way and iced the game away with four free throws by Tim Reidy (Needham, MA) and Jack Bleier (Victor, NY) over the final 32 seconds.
 
Overtime seems unlikely at the start as the Engineers used 3-pointers from Newman and Nicholas Margetson (Baldwin, NY) to race out to a 8-0 bulge just 2:26 into the contest but Lasell then rattled of 19-3 run to seize an eight-point bulge of its own just past the midway point of the opening half.   WPI edged back to within a point at 33-32 with a 3-pointer with a minute to go before intermission but the Lasers took a three-point lead into the locker room at the break when Quinton Partee Jr. (Atlanta, GA) drained a layup for the visitors in the final seconds of the session.

Molen led WPI with 23 points and finished a rebound short of a double-double with nine boards.  Newman (20) and Bledsoe (14) both reached double digits in points, and each hauled in seven rebounds with Newman swiping six steals. Esmer Madesko paced all players with 30 points, including a trio of 3-pointers, to go along with seven rebounds while his brother Andy Madesko (Atlanta, GA) stuffed the stat sheets with 12 boards and six assists and Partee Jr. finished with 11 points.
 
WPI remains in the city of Worcester for its next game on Friday, heading down Park Ave. and over on Chandler Street for a 7pm matchup with Worcester State.   Lasell is back at it on Tuesday, wrapping up a season-opening two-game road trip with a 7pm meeting with Wheaton.