NEWTON, Mass.—First-year Thomas Ferdinando (Andover, Mass.) scored 14 of his team-high 19 points in the second half and senior Timmy O'Toole (Milton, Mass.) recorded a double-double as visiting Babson College rallied to defeat Lasell University, 77-73, in non-conference men's basketball action on Tuesday night. 

Excluding the pandemic-shortened 2021 campaign, Babson is off to its first 4-0 start since 2019-20. Lasell, which entered the night having won two straight games, is now 2-2 on the year. 

Ferdinando was 6-of-12 from the floor and dished out a season-high six assists, while O'Toole finished with 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting and a game-high 13 rebounds for his second double-double of the season for the Beavers. Junior Marc Begin II (Carlsbad, Calif.) and sophomore Timmy Mulvey (Reading, Mass.) both scored 11 points, and senior Tyler Lauder (Malvern, Pa.) contributed nine points, six boards, four assists and two blocks in the win. 

Sophomore Esmer Madesko (Atlanta, Ga.) led all players with 20 points, 11 assists and four steals, junior Che Hanks (Chelsea, Mass.) scored 17 points and classmate Cameron Nell (James Island, S.C.) added 11 points and a team-high five rebounds to pace the Lasers. 

Trailing 46-33 at halftime, Babson scored on five of its first six possessions out of the locker room and got four straight points from Lauder and back-to-back three-pointers from Mulvey to cut its deficit to 51-45 at the 16:18 mark. Lasell weathered the early run and pushed its advantage back to 11 with 10:39 to play, but the Beavers responded with a 14-0 run that included five points by Ferdinando and four by O'Toole to go in front 63-60 with 6:25 remaining. 

The Lasers regained a 64-63 edge on hoops by Madesko and Hanks, but Ferdinando canned a three-pointer and O'Toole followed with a bucket in the paint to put the Green and White ahead for good 68-66 with 4:42 to go. Mulvey went 2-of-2 at the charity stripe and then drilled a triple to make it 73-69 with 2:49 left, and O'Toole tipped in a miss by Ferdinando for a 75-71 lead with 1:13 remaining. 

Madesko cut Lasell's deficit to two with 56 seconds to play and the hosts got the ball back with 24.5 seconds but committed a turnover allowing Ferdinando to seal the win with two late free throws. 

Babson led by as many as three twice in the opening half and was up 29-28 after a jumper by Begin II at the 5:53 mark before Lasell closed the stanza with an 18-4 spurt that included six points apiece by junior Tyler Costin (Viera, Fla.) and Nell to take a 46-33 lead into the locker room. 

The Beavers shot a season-best 56.4 percent from the floor and were a perfect 7-of-7 at the free throw line in the second half to go along with a slim 29-28 edge on the glass. The Lasers shot 54.6 percent in the first half and 45 percent for the game while outscoring the Green and White 40-34 in the paint. 

Babson returns to action on Friday when it travels to UMass Dartmouth at 7 p.m. Lasell hosts Anna Maria at 7 p.m. on Thursday. 

GAME NOTES
•    The Beavers are now 20-3 all-time against Lasell and have won 13 straight games in the series. 
•    Ten of the 23 all-time meetings between the teams have been decided by five points or less. 
•    All four of the Beavers' victories this season have come by four points. 
•    The Green and White has finished with at least four players in double figures in three of its first four games to start the year. 
•    Babson is now 3-0 on the season when trailing at halftime.