NEWARK, N.J. – It was a resounding start to the 2023-24 campaign for the Wesleyan men's basketball team in a 103-68 triumph over Hiram in the opening round of the John K. Adams Tip-Off Classic hosted by Rutgers-Newark on Friday night. The Cardinals (1-0) advance to the title game on Saturday at 3 PM where they will take on Springfield.
 
Scoring 100+ points for the first time since the 2021-22 season, the Cardinals opened with a flurry as five scored in double figures while Wesleyan shot 48.1 percent from the floor in the 35-point victory. Nicky Johnson '25 led the way with 17 points (6-10 FG) while Shane Regan '25 scored 16 (7-11 FG) to go along with a career-high six assists in 21 minutes. Jared Langs '25 produced 12 points and eight rebounds while Jackson Cormier '26 (11 points) and Josh Cameron '27 (10 points) both hit double figures in their collegiate debuts.
 
A thorough first half domination paved the way to the win as the Cardinals led 53-28 at the half, hitting 21 field goals compared to 11 for the Terriers. Wesleyan outscored Hiram 32-14 in the paint in the first half and 16-2 in fast break points. Cormier netted all 11 of his points in the first half to lead all scorers.
 
Hiram trailed 15-11 just over five minutes into play before the Cardinals rattled off seven unanswered points to build their first double-digit lead of the game at 23-11 following a three-pointer from Cole Bryant '25. Sporting a 35-21 lead with 7:45 left in the half, Hiram managed just two field goals for the remainder of the stanza as Wesleyan's defense played a vital role in an 18-7 run to end the half, taking a 53-28 lead at halftime.
 
Wesleyan's lead ballooned to 31 points as Johnson hit a floater in the lane to make it 61-30 just over two minutes into the second half. The Cardinals led by as many as 37 points in the late stages before closing out the impressive season-opening win. Both Johnson (11) and Regan (10) scored double-digit points in the second half as 11 Cardinals in total scored at least one point in the final 20 minutes.
 
The Cardinals finished +13 in the rebounding battle, snagging 23 offensive rebounds. Steven Johnson '23 led the way with 10 boards including seven on the offensive end. Ben Lyttle '27 finished with nine points and three steals in his debut while Sam Pohlman '26 was a perfect 3-for-3 from the floor as his way to seven points and four assists in 11 minutes.
 
Next up for the Cardinals is a showdown against the Pride in the title game on Saturday. Wesleyan beat Springfield 54-35 in a defensive slugfest in Springfield last season.