MEDFORD, Mass. – With 6.3 seconds remaining, the No. 20 ranked Wesleyan men's basketball team was left needing to make a defensive stand with Tufts heading down the floor trailing by just one. As Dylan Thoerner crossed midcourt, he cut right toward the wing but waiting for him was
Nicky Johnson '25 who had a lightning-quick poke of the ball off Thoerner's dribble and into the arms of
Preston Maccoux '23 who dribbled out the clock on the Cardinals' 65-64 road win over the Jumbos on Tuesday night.
The incredible game-ending defensive play from Johnson capped a terrific comeback win for the Cardinals (16-2, 4-0 NESCAC) who remain the lone remaining unbeaten team in conference play as Wesleyan is 4-0 to start NESCAC competition for the first time in program history.
Trailing by eight with 10:55 remaining, Wesleyan leaned heavily on their first-year point guard Johnson as a 10-0 run in a 3:27 span made what once was a 50-42 Tufts lead into a 52-50 Wesleyan advantage. Neither side led by more than two points for the next 3+ minutes before Johnson hit a crucial three-pointer that made it 60-57 Wesleyan.
Wesleyan's defense held Tufts without a field goal for over three minutes while Johnson hit a driving layup that reestablished Wesleyan's three-point lead. Even though the Jumbos weren't hitting any shots, they made the most of their free throws as two from Tyler Aronson tied the score at 63 apiece with 1:04 left.
On the next Cardinal possession, the ball swung to
Gabe Ravetz '23 who saw an opening from the wing. The junior guard, who was struggling shooting most of the night, showed no hesitation on a drive down the lane for a floater that put Wesleyan in front 65-63.
Tufts' Luke Rogers was fouled on the ensuing possession but only made 1-of-2 at the line, setting up the Cardinals who got a good look from Rabetz for three only to see the ball carom to
Preston Maccoux '23 who was tied up by Thoerner, leading to a jump ball call with the possession arrow pointed in Tufts direction.
A timeout was called, setting the stage with 6.3 seconds left and needing a point to send the game into overtime or any make from the floor would've been enough for a Tufts win. As Thoerner brought the ball up the court, his potential drive to the hoop was thwarted by Johnson who made the play of the game in his swipe of the Jumbo's leading scorer on the night.
In a lively game that featured 10 ties and nine lead changes, both teams struggled shooting as Tufts shot just 38.6 percent from the floor while Wesleyan hit on just four of their 24 three-point attempts for the game.
Wesleyan attempted 16 three-pointers in the first half and clearly made a more concerted effort down low in the second half as the Cardinals shot 16-for-29 (55.2 percent) from the floor in the second half alone compared to 12-for-31 (38.7 percent) in the first half.
After missing considerable time (nearly three weeks),
Sam Peek '22 returned to form as the Cardinals' leading scorer finished with a game-high 22 points (9-15 FG) while adding four rebounds and a team-high four assists in 31 minutes. This is Peek's seventh 20+ point game of the season and his six over his last seven games played.
Johnson continues to play well beyond his years as he tallied 11 points (5-10 FG) with five rebounds, three assists and two steals in a game-high 34 minutes of action. Johnson scored nine of his 11 points in the second half.
Other key contributors for Wesleyan included Ravetz (nine points, six rebounds), Maccoux (five points, nine rebounds, three assists) and
Jordan James (six points, three assists, three blocks and two steals in 20 minutes).
Thoerner led Tufts with 13 points while Luke Rogers stuffed the stat sheet for the Jumbos with eight points, 10 rebounds, two assists, three blocks and three steals in just 27 minutes.
After playing eight of their last nine games away from home, Wesleyan is back at Silloway Gymnasium on Friday, starting the weekend with a visit from Little 3 rival Amherst for a 7 PM tip. Wesleyan defeated Amherst 95-84 in a triple OT thriller back on Jan. 3.
