HARTFORD, Conn. – Locked in a back-and-forth dual where neither side led by more than six points for 25+ minutes, the No. 4 ranked Wesleyan men's basketball team used a late 16-5 run to pull away from their in-state rivals, defeating the defending NESCAC Champion Trinity, 73-62, on Saturday afternoon from Oosting Gymnasium. The win keeps Wesleyan undefeated at 19-0, remaining the only team in Division III that has yet to lose, while the Bantams (15-3, 3-2 NESCAC) lose their second straight game at home.
 
In a game that featured the NESCAC's top two scoring defenses coming in, the two sides played true to form in the first half, with both teams shooting just 31 percent from the floor. After a 7-2 start for the Bantams, which later turned into a 14-7 advantage, Shane Regan '25 converted layups on back-to-back possessions which started a 11-0 scoring run for the Cardinals.
 
After being held scoreless for nearly six minutes, Trinity put their foot on the gas with a 10-0 run of their own, turning a four-point deficit into a 24-18 lead with 3:45 left in the half. Looking for some magic late in the half, Regan got a three-pointer to fall with 1:41 remaining and Jackson Cormier '26 converted in the lane as the Cardinals made it just a two-point deficit, trailing 27-25 at the break.
 
A switch flicked in the second half as it didn't take long for either side to see some shots fall coming out of the halftime. Wesleyan scored on three straight trips down the floor, capped by a Cormier bucket in transition to give the Cardinals a 31-29 lead. Regan canned another triple nearly two minutes later and the Cardinals held a steady one or two possession lead for the ensuing five minutes of play.
 
Nearing the midway point of the second half, Trinity used a 9-2 burst to flip a five-point deficit into a 45-43 lead with 10:18 left on the clock. Right in the face of that run, however, Regan had an answer with a layup followed by Ben Lyttle '27 hitting two three-pointers just 1:17 apart.
 
With 7:35 remaining and Wesleyan leading 51-50, the game took it's defining turn as the Cardinals made the key plays needed down the stretch, riding a 16-5 run to separate in the late stages. Nicky Johnson '25 and Fritz Hauser '26 started the run with two free throws from each before Lyttle got a floater to fall, making it 57-50 Wesleyan.
 
Jarrel Okorougo temporarily stymied the run with a basket to cut the deficit to five, but it was Johnson who scored off a feed from Hauser before Hauser scored on consecutive trips down the floor. It was 63-55 Wesleyan before Hauser once again found a teammate, this time Lyttle, for a basket to give the Cardinals their first double-digit lead of the game.
 
Lyttle made two free throws, giving the Cardinals their largest lead of the contest at 67-55 with 2:05 remaining. The Bantams made it interesting down the stretch as Henry Vetter hit a three-pointer with 27 seconds remaining to make it a six-point game, then Regan missed two free throws but it was Hauser who grabbed the offensive board, sealing the win in front of a packed house in Hartford.
 
Lyttle was the catalyst in the win, scoring all 16 of his points in the second half, finishing 5-of-10 from the floor while adding eight rebounds. Regan tossed in 10 of his 17 points in the first half, keeping Wesleyan in the game, while he was an efficient 7-of-13 from the floor.
 
Johnson finished with 14 points, five rebounds, and four assists, giving the Cardinals three in double figures. Hauser closed the game with a flurry, finishing with eight points, five rebounds, and three assists. In the game-deciding 16-5 run, it was Hauser who led the team with six points while he assisted on two more baskets, as he scored or assisted on 10 of those points to win it late for the Cardinals.
 
Wesleyan's defense played a key role, holding the Bantams to 35.9 percent shooting for the game and 28.1 percent (9-for-32) from three. The Bantams' leading scorer Henry Vetter, who came in averaging north of 16 points per game, was held to just five points with three turnovers on 1-for-8 shooting with the one made shot coming in the final minute of the game.
 
The win tees up a massive Friday night showdown in Silloway as the Cardinals (19-0, 5-0 NESCAC) play host to Tufts (17-2, 5-0 NESCAC) in a game that will have massive playoff seeding implications on the line.