In their final home game of the season, the men’s basketball team played one of their most spirited games on Saturday with a 70-53 thrashing of Connecticut College. Led by senior captain Tim Holland and his game-high 23 points, the Cards scored 16 unanswered points in the first half, propelling the team to victory and the number five seed in the NESCAC Tournament. The opening round will begin on Saturday, where the squad will travel to Trinity to take on the Bantams.
Neck and neck with the Camels throughout much of the first half, the Cards combined an outstanding defensive effort with Holland’s uncanny shooting touch to spur a 16-0 run that led to a 39-20 lead at halftime, essentially deciding the outcome after one half.
“Tim really sets the tone on our offense,” said Robert Kelly ’06. “Unfortunately I didn’t play that well, but Tim stepped up the pace. Whenever he gets going, it really has a positive effect on the rest of the team, and it helps other guys get going offensively.”
Connecticut was unable to muster up any kind of energy in the second half and never got within 16 points, largely due to the Cards’ defensive intensity throughout the entire contest. With the victory the Cards bounced back from a two-game losing streak and played some of their best basketball at the right time, giving them a much-needed confidence booster heading into the playoffs.
“We started out the game slowly against Connecticut,” said starting point guard Doug Rubenstein ’07. “We weren’t playing the type of defense early on that we should have been. But we eventually stepped it up defensively, and combined with the new plays we had on offense, made us really effective out there. We have plenty of scorers on the team, and everything seemed to be clicking at the right time for us.”
Holland, who had struggled in the two previous conference games against Bowdoin and Colby, bounced back with authority against the Camels, posting his highest point total since January 15, when the Cards took on Middlebury College. Kelly and Jarred Ashe ’07 combined for 18 points, while Nick Pelletier ’08 and Jimmy Shepherd ’07 threw down eight apiece.
Wesleyan will need to have another spirited performance to get past their first round opponent in Trinity, who defeated the Cards last month by a score of 68-63 in Hartford. Despite the setback a few weeks ago, the Cardinals should give the Bantams fits with a solid defensive effort combined with the offensive abilities of their top two guns in Holland and powerhouse center Kelly. With a week to prepare and rest up for the contest, the Cards are confident about their chances.
“We were able to play with Trinity the last time we faced them,” Rubenstein said. “We don’t need to change much. Against them last time, Jarred got hurt, and some of our guys were cramping up later in the game. We were coming off of a draining game against Amherst the day before, where all of our starters played at least 30 minutes, and we were forced to log in another 30 minutes against Trinity, who was well rested after their blowout win against the Camels. With fresh legs, we will run Trinity off the court.”
The first round playoff game against Trinity is slated to begin at 3 p.m. in Hartford on Saturday.
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