The Wesleyan men’s basketball team won its final home game by a 65-50 score, dominating NESCAC rival Hamilton at Silloway Gymnasium on Sunday. The game served as Senior Day for tri-captain Jason Mendell ’12, the team’s lone senior, and he made the most of the final regular season home game of his career. Mendell led both teams with 17 points, connecting on three of his five three-point attempts and shooting an outstanding 70 percent from the field.

Wes dominated from the outset, holding Hamilton to only 21 points in the first half as the Cardinals took a ten-point lead into halftime. Although Hamilton drew within seven early in the second half, the Cards went on a quick 16-4 run to assert their dominance and led by no less than 13 after that.

The final 65-50 tally gave Wesleyan its 17th victory of the year, one away from tying the school record. Coach Joe Reilly, who won 154 games at Bates before coming to Wesleyan in 2008, won the 200th game of his promising career as well.

Wesleyan now sits at 5-3 in the NESCAC standings, good enough for fourth place, and has a chance to leapfrog Tufts for the third seed in the NESCAC tournament. With a trip to Maine coming up this weekend, the Cardinals are poised to beat both Bowdoin and Colby, set a school record with 19 wins, and secure a first-round home NESCAC playoff game.