The men’s basketball team continued its strong play from the first half of its season through winter break and extended it this past weekend in an 80-62 win over Conn College on Saturday. The win over the Camels moves the Cardinals to 13-5 overall and 2-2 in NESCAC play this year.
After a short break following finals week in December, the Cards traveled to Florida to play in the Daytona Beach Shootout. The two-game set was the first time the Cardinals played in Daytona, and their wins over Birmingham Southern College and Maryville College displayed Wesleyan’s ability to compete with teams outside its usual northeast region.
“I think that trip was great not only because we got two wins down there against two really quality teams, but I think the two biggest things for us this year have been our great chemistry and great leadership,” said point guard Harry Rafferty ’17. “Both of those were really obvious on that trip, and we just love being with each other, and I think our leaders do a great job of keeping everyone in line and positive and putting us in the right direction.”
Wesleyan continued its winning ways when it came back home for the Red & Black Holiday Tournament on Jan. 2-3. The Cards captured their second tournament title of the season behind an 88-49 walloping of the University of New England and a 77-66 win in the championship game over Wheaton College.
Rafferty, BJ Davis ’16, Jack Mackey ’16, Rashid Epps ’16, Joseph Kuo ’17, and Joe Edmonds ’16 all put up double-digit point totals in at least one of the games in the tournament, showcasing the Cards’ depth.
“We’re just so balanced, and that’s the key to us on the court,” Rafferty said. “We really share the ball well, and we take pride in the fact that on any given day it could be anyone who scores in double figures and leads us to victory. We’re very deep and balanced, which makes us really dangerous because you can’t just lock onto one guy.”
After losing a close 82-80 matchup against Colby on Jan. 9, Wesleyan took on Bowdoin. Both teams are currently tied for first in the NESCAC. Fueled by an impressive 21 of 24 shooting performance from the foul line and five three-pointers from Mackey, the Cards beat the Polar Bears 77-62.
“We’re at our best offensively when we’re running, and I think that starts with Jack Mackey and BJ Davis,” Rafferty said. “They’re such quick and dynamic guards that when they push the pace, they get a lot of shots themselves, but it also opens up looks for everyone else on the court just because the defense is scrambling the whole possession. I definitely think we’re a transition offense, and that’s what we’re best at.”
While the Cardinals experienced their first back-to-back losses of the season after falling to Amherst and Middlebury, following their win over Bowdoin, they quickly turned it around by rattling off wins against both Baruch College and Conn College.
With just six games remaining, all of them NESCAC matchups, the Cards are in a good position to, at the very least, make the conference’s playoff tournament. Wesleyan is currently tied for fifth with Middlebury and Bates and will be taking on the latter this coming Friday.
“One thing we’ve been stressing a lot on the court is just keeping focused the entire game,” Rafferty said. “We’ve had some lapses, especially on transition defense. Coach [Joe] Reilly has really stressed to us that and boxing out and just getting back on defense in general in some of those tough losses we’ve had. Besides that, a lot of it just comes down to making shots. When we’re shooting the ball well, we’re a really dangerous team. In some of those losses we just didn’t shoot well, but we don’t try to read too much into it because the reality of the matter is that it’s a simple game, and if you make shots you’re obviously a better team.”
Rafferty has been impressed by the team’s chemistry so far this year and cited the time the team had on campus during winter break as a key component of its ability to create a special team environment.
“We love [the atmosphere over break], to be honest,” Rafferty said. “We’re totally alone on campus, so it’s just basketball and hanging out with all the guys. Our chemistry is just so good, so we were really cherishing that time because you only get so many days like that with your best friends.”
The Cards are slated to take on Bates and Tufts this coming weekend in a pair of important NESCAC matchups. The Bobcats and Jumbos rank second-to-last and last in the conference in points per game, but have maintained good records and playoff positions through their strong defensive play.
“We definitely have deep scouts for the NESCAC games, especially because we generally have whole weeks to prepare for those,” Rafferty said. “There’s a ton of parity in the league right now, which I think will make for a really exciting finish. There’s legitimately eight or nine teams that have a good chance of winning the league, so it’s just going to come down to who keeps getting better on a day-to-day basis and who’s more locked in as the season goes in.”