MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – In a game the Cardinals led for more than 37 minutes, the Wesleyan men's basketball team saw the visiting Williams Ephs mount a late comeback, defeating the Cardinals 62-60 in Silloway Gymnasium on Saturday night. Wesleyan (5-2) suffered a defeat despite holding the Ephs (7-1) to just six points in the opening 10+ minutes of the game.
 
As most Little Three showdowns shake out, the game came down to the final minutes as Williams went on a 12-2 run in a span of 3+ minutes to cut what was a 10-point Cardinal lead down to a tie game at 52 apiece. The lead changed hands seven times in the final minutes, with neither team leading by more than one point until the closing seconds.
 
Missed free throws loomed large down the stretch for Wesleyan as Nicky Johnson '25 went 1-of-2 at the line on two straight possessions, giving Wesleyan only a one-point lead with 46 seconds left. After a Williams timeout, Cole Prowitt-Smith drove hard at the rim from the right wing, stopping under the basket and waiting out the defense before rising for a layup that put Williams in front 61-60.
 
Following a Cardinal timeout, Johnson pulled up from three and hit rim. With the rebound loose, Evan Glatzer came up with the ball for Williams and was fouled. Glatzer only went 1-of-2 at the line, giving Wesleyan one last chance to tie or take the lead. With no timeouts left, Johnson drove hard up the floor and left a pass for Fritz Hauser '26 who took one dribble to his left before pulling up from free. The would-be game-winner, however, clanged off the side of the rim and sealed the Williams victory.
 
The tough loss for the Cardinals came in a game wherein Wesleyan played outstanding defensively, holding Williams to just six points in the opening 10+ minutes and only 25 at halftime. For how good the defense was playing, the Cardinals couldn't muster enough offense to take full advantage as Wesleyan led 17-6 with 9:33 remaining in the first half after Shane Regan '25 hit from three. It was still an 11-point lead for Wesleyan a few minutes later after Johnson drove the rim for a layup, but the Ephs went on a 10-4 run in the closing minutes to trail by just four at the break.
 
After trading buckets for the first few minutes of the second half, Wesleyan's defense again came up big, holding the Ephs to just two points in a span of over five minutes. In that sequence, the Cardinals managed to open a 47-36 lead with 10:43 remaining. The lead remained at double figures with 8:48 left, before a crucial 9-0 Ephs run made it a game late.
 
Free throws loomed large in the outcome as Williams went 14-for-18 (77.8%) from the charity stripe for the game while the Cardinals finished just 9-of-20 (45%) as a team and went 7-for-16 (43.8%) in the second half alone.
 
Johnson led the Cardinals with 14 points and 11 assists for his second consecutive double-double. He added three steals to his totals in 38 minutes of action. Regan was the lone other Cardinal in double figures as he finished with 11 points. Jackson Cormier '26 had nine points on 4-of-5 shooting while Steven Johnson '23 gave great minutes off the bench, finishing with a career-high 11 rebounds to go along with three blocks.
 
Alex Lee led the Ephs with a game-high 19 points (8-13 FG) with six rebounds while Nate Karren finished with 12 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. Prowitt-Smith was just 3-for-10 from the floor, but came up with the ultimate game-winning bucket in the final minute.
 
The Cardinals look to rebound next week with a non-conference showdown against Colby-Sawyer on Wednesday at 7 PM from Silloway Gymnasium.