After splitting the pair of games during the snowpocalypse this weekend, Wesleyan men’s basketball is playoff bound. On the strength of their home victory over Colby, their final
Corey Sobotka/Assistant Photo Editor
game at Silloway Gym in the 2012-13 season, the Cardinals finished with a 12-12 record. After going 4-6 in NESCAC play, Wesleyan finished tied for sixth in the conference with Bates, getting the better seeding due to their victory over the Bobcats back in January. That means the Cardinals will avoid playing their Little Three rivals, top seeds Amherst and Williams, in the opening round of the conference playoffs. Instead, Wesleyan will face off against the Middlebury Panthers, seeded third in the NESCAC but no less of a powerhouse than Amherst or Williams.
The first game Wesleyan played, due to snow-induced scheduling mishaps, was against Bowdoin. The Cardinals trotted out an unusual lineup that consisted of all five seniors on roster. It would be the second-to-last home game that Shasha Brown ’13, Derick Beresford ’13, Mike Callaghan ’13, Matt Hogan ’13, and Greg St. Jean ’13 would ever play.
Bowdoin came out fast, and by the half built up a 41-33 lead. The atmosphere was electric inside Silloway, and though Bowdoin pushed the lead to 17 with six minutes to play, the Cardinals never caved. Wesleyan came roaring back, eventually managing to close the gap to three points with 44 seconds to play. Unfortunately, Bowdoin hit a layup and made their free throws down the stretch to secure the win. Brown, who this week won the Cardinal’s only NESCAC Player of the Week award, had 22 points, four rebounds, and an assist. Beresford led the Cardinals with three assists, and added 19 points of his own. Callaghan rounded out the double-digit scorers with 13, while Glen Thomas ’14 came off the bench to lead the team with eight rebounds.
The game against Colby played out in much better fashion for the Cardinals. Starting with the more standard lineup of Brown, Beresford, Callahan, Thomas and Rashid Epps ’16, Wes faired better. The game was clearly over by halftime with the Cardinals ahead 34-20. That lead would be pushed even further in a second half that saw the Cardinals outscore the Mules 39-27. The game was a complete top to bottom effort, with only one player (Brown with 20) scoring in double figures. The bench contributed a great deal, with Brian Bartner ’16 chipping in the second highest Cardinal total of the game with nine.
The next game will kick off the conference tournament for the Cardinals when they head to Middlebury on Saturday, Feb. 16. Hopefully the best group of seniors that Wesleyan men’s basketball has ever had will add to their string of success and keep the Cardinals’ championship hopes alive for at least another week.