MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – Staring a three-point deficit in the face with 5:46 to play, the No. 1 Wesleyan men's basketball team held No. 9 Tufts to just four points down the stretch as the Cardinals came back to earn a 69-66 win over the Jumbos in a battle of the NESCAC unbeatens on Friday night from Silloway Gymnasium.
 
Top-ranked Wesleyan is now 20-0 on the season, improving to 6-0 in NESCAC action, remaining the only unbeaten team in Division III men's basketball. Tufts drop to 17-3 overall, suffering its first NESCAC loss of the season to drop to 5-1 in league play.
 
Playing in front of a ravenous home crowd pushing 2,000 in Silloway, the two Top 10 ranked sides dueled it out all night in a game that featured nine ties and nine lead changes, while neither side led by more than five points throughout the entire second half.
 
The boisterous crowd didn't affect the Jumbos in the start as the visitors jumped out to a quick 9-2 lead four minutes into the game following a triple from Dylan Reilly. Wesleyan would respond with seven unanswered point, the first five scored by Oscar Edelman '28, to tie the game at 9-9.
 
It was 14-11 Jumbos before a flurry of Wesleyan baskets saw the Cardinals take their largest lead of the first half at 22-17 following a three-point make from Zach Wolinski '28. A putback from Shane Regan '25 made it 24-19 Cardinals but an extended cold spell ensued with Wesleyan scoring just two points over the next 5:13. The Jumbos took full advantage, using a 12-2 run to lead 31-26.
 
The Jumbos would lead by as many as six late in the first half, eventually taking a 36-32 lead into the halftime locker room. Regan and Nicky Johnson '25 each had 10 points for the Cardinals while James Morakis led all scorers with 13 first half points.
 
After halftime, Tufts continued to lead until Johnson canned a pair of triples, giving his team the lead on both occasions. The two teams batted the lead back-and-forth for the next eight minutes until the Jumbos scored five straight points to make it 56-51 after a bucket from Morakis.
 
It had been almost seven minutes without a basket for the Wesleyan offense, that was until Fritz Hauser '26 hit a crucial three with 7:56 remaining to get the crowd back in the game. More than three minutes went by without either team making a shot, as the two defenses dominated play, until Jackson Cormier '26 drove the lane for a game-tying layup with 4:16 left.
 
Tufts continued to lead until the 1:40 mark when Regan isolated his defender, driving baseline for a floater at the rim that went in, giving the Cardinals a 62-61 lead. Dylan Reilly's three missed on the next trip down the floor and after a timeout, Hauser was fouled on his way to the rim, hitting both free throws to make it 64-61 Wesleyan.
 
A key turnover, forced by Josh Cameron '27 on defense, led to two free throws from Sam Pohlman '26 as the Cardinals led by five with 27.1 remaining. Morakis broke a scoreless streak that lasted nearly four minutes and after a free throw by Johnson, Dylan Reilly hit another three to make it a one-point game with 3.3 seconds to go.
 
Regan was then fouled on the inbounds play, hitting both free throws to restore the three-point lead. Tufts, who had no timeouts remaining, pushed the ball down the floor and managed a Zion Watt three that ringed off the rim and out.
 
Regan tossed in a game-high 23 points, scoring 13 in the second half, while shooting 8-for-15 from the floor and 7-of-8 at the line. Johnson finished with 17 points (6-12 FG) with four assists and two steals as the pair combined for 40 of the Cardinals' 69 points.
 
Cormier totaled nine points, eight rebounds (three offensive), and two blocks while Edelman had eight points and two blocks off the bench.
 
Morakis led the Jumbos with 19 points on 8-for-12 shooting but committed six turnovers as Wesleyan won the turnover battle 13-9 which proved vital in a 16-6 edge in points off turnovers for the game.
 
Reilly splashed in 12 points, going 4-of-9 from three, while Joshua Bernstein racked up eight points, seven rebounds, and three steals in just 20 minutes before fouling out.
 
The Cardinals play host to Conn. College on Saturday at 3 PM as Wesleyan will honor its five-member senior class prior to the start of play for Senior Day in Silloway.