MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – Leading by as many as 19 in the first half, the Wesleyan men's basketball team saw Amherst claw their way back to just a two-point deficit with 13 seconds remaining but a stellar defensive stand on the final possession proved enough in the end as the Cardinals held off the Mammoths in a 57-54 win. Wesleyan (6-5) has won four straight and five of six while Amherst (4-7) has lost four of their last five.
Wesleyan jumped on the visitors early behind the red-hot shooting of
Gabe Ravetz '23 as the senior shooting guard hit each of his first six shot attempts, including four from three-point land, to build a 23-6 lead just 6:31 into play. The Cardinals stretched their advantage to as many as 19 points in the first half as
Nicky Johnson '25 hit on a pull-up to make it 32-13 with 7:40 remaining in the half.
Amherst, however, was able to close the first half with some momentum, outscoring Wesleyan 9-2 in the final seven-plus minutes to make it 34-22 at the halftime break.
The game continued to seesaw as Wesleyan rebuilt a 17-point advantage early in the second half with
Shackylle Dezonie '23 hitting a fallaway before
Fritz Hauser '26 finished off a three-point play that made it 45-28 with 15:12 remaining.
Shackylle Dezonie '23 tallied his third career double-double, matching his career-high with 12 rebounds
Amherst made their run as a blistering 18-4 run saw the Mammoths close the gap all the way down to three points as Wesleyan led 49-46 with 6:33 left. A Cardinal timeout came at a good time as the Cardinals scored five unanswered points to lead 54-46.
Just as it seemed Wesleyan managed enough buckets to see this one out, Amherst again closed the margin down to just two points at 56-54 with 13 seconds left. Ravetz made 1-of-2 at the free throw line to give the Mammoths one last chance to tie the score.
Choosing to go for a game-tying three instead of a two-point attempt, Canin Reynolds was smothered on his way across midcourt and as the seconds wound down, all the point guard could manage was a last-second heave that hit the backboard and bounced out as the clock expired.
Gabe Millsten '23 celebrates the win with a hug Nicky Johnson '25
This three-point win for the Cardinals extends what has been an epic rivalry over recent years as the outcome between the two sides has been decided by three points or less in seven of the past 12 meetings.
Ravetz finished with a career-high 23 points thanks to his hot shooting from the first half. The senior went 8-for-17 from the floor and 4-of-9 from three to go along with six rebounds and two steals in 28 minutes.
Dezonie matched his season and career-high with 12 rebounds, adding 13 points to give him a double-double for the second time this season and the third time in his career. The senior guard was efficient from the floor, shooting 6-for-10 overall.
Johnson dished out a season-high 11 assists while committing just one turnover in 36 minutes. This is Johnson's first double-digit assist game of the season and the third of his career.
Nicky Johnson '25 recorded 11 assists against just one turnover for his first double-digit assist game of the season
Wesleyan held Amherst to just 32.8 percent shooting (20-61 FG) and only 16 percent from three (4-25 3FG) while forcing 14 turnovers. Leading the Mammoths was Noah Helmke who recorded 12 points and six rebounds. Reynolds tallied six rebounds, five assists and two steals while Ryker Vance scored nine points.
The Cardinals open NESCAC play this weekend with a trip up to Maine to face Bowdoin on Friday night at 7:00 PM before traveling to Colby for a 3:00 PM tip on Saturday.
