The Wesleyan men’s basketball team earned its third one-point victory in the last five home games on Wednesday night by defeating the visiting Eastern Connecticut Warriors in a 66-65 thriller.
Eastern Conn., who had won 16 of their first 19 games, took an early 24-20 lead before Wesleyan went on a 14-2 run to take their largest lead of the game at 34-26. Despite being up by five points at halftime and gaining an eight-point lead just five minutes later, the Cardinals could not keep the Warriors at bay.
The remainder of the game was a helter-skelter, back-and-forth affair that never saw either team lead by more than a single point. In the decisive final stretch, the Cardinal defense forced Eastern Conn. into a shot-clock violation, with the Warrior center being forced to throw up a three-pointer that missed the rim as the buzzer sounded. Mike Callaghan ’13, who led the Cardinals with 20 points and six rebounds, then made a layup that gave Wesleyan another one-point lead with just under a minute to go.
Although the Eastern Conn. center made up for his earlier miss with a jumper in the lane that gave his team a 65-64 lead with 46 seconds left, that was the last point the Warriors would score. Shasha Brown ’13, the Cardinals’ leading scorer of the season, missed a floater from the left side, but Glen Thomas ’14 got a huge offensive rebound amidst three Warriors and was fouled as he attempted a shot. His two free throws gave Wes the lead back for good, as the 66-65 margin would remain for the final 30 seconds. Eastern Conn. was never able to get off another good shot, as Callaghan blocked a jump shot in the paint and the team’s defense was good enough to force another errant three-pointer as the final buzzer sounded.
Wesleyan’s bench and the sizable crowd on hand in Silloway Gymnasium all jumped to their feet to celebrate the Cardinals’ 16th win, the most in 21 years. With three games left, the team has a chance to eclipse the program record for wins, which was established when the 1990-91 team went 18-6.
Tri-captain Jason Mendell ’12, the only senior on the team, endured three losing seasons prior to this one, and he and the team are well aware that they are on the verge of greatness.
“We’re at 16 wins, but we’re still hungry, man,” he said. “We think we have what it takes to make something special happen. We just have to keep working every day in practice.”
But the Cards know that their defense has gotten them this far, and that it will determine how far they ultimately go.
According to Mendell, “We’ve really taken pride in team defense this year. Our effort level and commitment to that side of the ball gives us a chance to win any game we play.”
They will get their next chance against Hamilton College at home this Sunday, Feb. 5, at 2 p.m. Wesleyan is currently tied with Bates for fourth place in the NESCAC standings, and the 1-5 Continentals will provide a good opportunity for the Cardinals to improve their seeding in the upcoming conference tournament.
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