The Wesleyan men’s basketball team won two more road games this past weekend to improve to 6-1 on the year, the program’s best start to a season since the 2001-02 squad won eight out of its first nine games. Just two days after becoming the fastest Wesleyan player in history to reach 1,000 points, point guard Shasha Brown ’13 scored a season-high 28 points to lead the Cardinals past Emmanuel College on Thursday, Dec. 1. Brown again led the team with 22 points as the City College of New York Beavers succumbed to a Cardinal onslaught on Saturday.

Brown was characteristically humble when asked about his achievement.

“Coming into the season, I knew I was approaching the milestone but I was unaware as to how close I actually was,” he said. “When it was announced during the game I thought they were announcing someone fouling out. When I realized what was actually said, I paid very little attention to it, as we were only up by about eight points with three minutes left.”

He deferred credit to his team.

“Without them, nothing is possible,” he said.

The team pulled through again on Thursday, as the Redbirds and Emmanuel were locked in a heated battle, tied at 61 with just over a minute left. Brown did his part, scoring the final six points, but it was Mike Callaghan ’13 who allowed Brown to seal the game, tipping an Emmanuel pass to the point guard when Wes was up two in the last ten seconds. Brown then iced the win, using a pair of free throws to finish Emmanuel off with just over a second left.  Callaghan was another strong performer for the Cards, scoring nine points and grabbing 10 rebounds, and co-captain Jason Mendell ’12 also had 10 points as Wesleyan won, 67-63.

Two days later, the Cardinals traveled to CCNY for a Saturday afternoon matinee. It was a gorgeous afternoon outside, and things were just as magnificent for Wesleyan on the hardwood as they washed out the Beavers by a 72-50 score. Brown led both teams in points, assists, and steals (22, eight, and five, respectively), and fellow backcourt starter Derick Beresford ’13 added 17 points. The real star in this game, though, was Wesleyan’s team defense, which held CCNY to under 30 percent shooting from the field and under 15 percent from three-point land.

“We’ve really improved on defense,” said forward Matt Hogan ’13. “Everyone is really buying into the system, and it is great to be able to pressure the ball when you know that your teammates will be there to help if your man beats you.”

Wesleyan used that improved team defense to go on a number of runs that repeatedly took the wind out of CCNY’s sails. The Cards went on an 11-0 run to start the game and were up 26-6 with seven minutes to go in the first half. The Beavers then went on an 11-0 run of their own to reduce the deficit to nine, but Wes shut them down with a 12-1 run that provided for the 38-18 halftime score. After increasing the lead to 50-20 to start the second half, the Cardinals easily withstood CCNY’s best shot, as they never got within 14 points for the rest of the game, and Wesleyan cruised to the 72-50 victory.

Brown agreed with Hogan that the team’s defensive success is a direct result of their effort and attitude.

“It feels good to be 6-1,” he said. “Winning on the road isn’t easy, but we were able to get it done. We have a long way to go, and we’re coming to realize it takes 40 minutes of focus to win.”

The Cardinals will have their next chance to improve their road record with a trip to Manhattanville on Tuesday, Dec. 6.