MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – The third-seeded Wesleyan men's basketball team battled sixth-seeded Colby through regulation plus an overtime period, but the Mules came out victorious in an 82-80 win from Silloway Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon. The Cardinals' (16-9) NCAA Tournament rate now rests with the selection committee while the Mules (19-6) move on to face top-seed Williams next Saturday in the semifinal round of the NESCAC Tournament.
Wesleyan controlled most of regulation, leading for over 36 minutes, but never gaining much separation as the margin stayed within single digits for nearly the entire game. In a game the Cardinal backcourt of
Nicky Johnson '25 and
Gabe Ravetz '23 dominated throughout, the duo combined to score 25 of Wesleyan's 37 first half points as the pair shot 11-for-18 from the floor in the opening 20 minutes.
After the lead changed hands six times and the score tied four times in the first 12+ minutes, Wesleyan gained some separation with Johnson hitting a floater followed by a step back three-pointer to make it 26-21 Cardinals. Wesleyan's lead stretched to 10, their largest of the game, as Ravetz hit a turnaround just outside the paint and nailed a step back three on the fast break that made it 33-23 Wesleyan.
Taking a seven-point lead into halftime, the two sides traded baskets for most of the first 10 minutes of the second half before Johnson again connected from deep, this time on a pull up that made it 55-45 Cardinals with 10:05 remaining. The Cardinal lead remained at eight points with 5:13 remaining, with Johnson converting a four-point play, but the Mules responded, going on a 10-2 run to tie the score at 67 apiece with 1:26 left.
In crunch time, the Cardinals continued to lean on Johnson who came up with yet another triple, taking advantage of an offensive rebound from
Shackylle Dezonie '23. Wesleyan later went up by four points as Ravetz hit two free throws with just 23 seconds left.
The pivotal moment of the game followed as Noah Tyson hit two free throws for Colby with 13 seconds left, making it just a two-point game. Then Max Poulton stole an inbounds pass right under the basket on the ensuing Cardinal possession, leading to a game-tying Tyson layup. With a last second chance to win it in regulation, Ravetz's pull up three missed and the game was sent into overtime.
In the extra session, Poulton again came up huge, hitting a three with 3:19 left that made it 79-76 Colby. Neither side scored for the 2+ minutes, setting up a pulse-pounding final minute. As Johnson drove the lane for an uncontested layup, lowering the deficit to one, Tyson only made 1-of-2 free throws, giving Wesleyan the ball back down two with 13 seconds left. Choosing to go for the win, Johnson's three-point pull up from the wing hit iron and with a rebound loose,
Shane Regan '25 grabbed the ball coming to the floor but was swarmed by the Mules, unable to get a pass off as time expired.
Wesleyan was led by a career-high 33 points from Johnson, who went 13-for-24 from the floor and 5-of-9 from three. He also added six assists, five rebounds, and five steals in 43 minutes of action. Ravetz finished with 22 points (8-16 FG, 4-7 3FG) and eight rebounds in what could be his final game as a Cardinal. Dezonie totaled 13 points with 12 rebounds (five offensive) to go along with three assists.
Colby saw four players hit double figures in scoring with Lucas Green and Tyson tying for the team-lead with 22 each. Tyson's 22 points came on 8-for-11 shooting while Green went 8-for-10 from the floor and 4-of-5 from three. Poulton added 16 points while Will King registered a double-double with 11 points and 12 assists.
