SALISBURY, Md. – The No. 13 ranked Wesleyan men's basketball team earned another hard-fought win down in Maryland at the Governor's Challenge, overcoming a six-point halftime deficit to defeat Gettysburg 59-56 on Sunday afternoon. The Cardinals (3-1) head back to campus with two key wins playing far away from home while the Bullets are now 3-3 on the season.
In a game where the Cardinals shot just 1-of-14 from three and 37.1 percent overall from the floor, Wesleyan won this game in large part due to a tremendous defensive display. Wesleyan held Gettysburg to a 9-for-29 (31 percent) showing from the floor and 1-of-12 from three in the second half while the Bullets had 16 turnovers in the game.
Facing a Gettysburg team that Wesleyan defeated at home in the Second Round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, the Cardinals had their offense clicking in the first few minutes. Baskets from four different Cardinals spotted Wesleyan an early lead but a 4+ minute scoreless streak saw the Bullets go on an 11-0 run to lead 16-8.
Gettysburg held a lead for the remainder of the first half, shooting 53.8 percent from the floor, but the Cardinals managed to stay within striking distance, heading into halftime trailing 33-27.
A pair of
Zach Wolinski '28 baskets within the first 1:11 of the second half set the tone as the Cardinals tied the score at 37-37 less than three minutes in. Neither team scored for more than three minutes before Wolinski converted a three-point play to make it 44-42 Wesleyan with 12:10 remaining.
As Gettysburg continued to miss shots on offense, a mini 5-0 run from
Oscar Edelman '28 spotted the Cardinals a five-point lead. Then baskets from
Sam Pohlman '26 and
Fritz Hauser '26 made it 55-49 Wesleyan with 3:45 left. Just as the Bullets made their first basket in over four minutes, Pohlman answered right back with a layup and Edelman cleaned up a putback as the Cardinals led 59-51 with 1:30 remaining.
Nate Williams hit from deep on the next possession and made two free throws to make it a one-possession game in the closing minute. Wolinski saw his layup blocked by Dom Neverbick with 13 seconds left and after a timeout, Gettysburg went to Williams for a game-tying three-point attempt in the closing seconds, but the shot hit iron and Wesleyan closed out the Governor's Challenge with another win.
Pohlman and Wolinski tied for the team-lead with 14 points each. Pohlman went 6-for-13 from the floor with five rebounds and three assists. Wolinski went 5-for-8 and hit his only three-point attempt. Edelman scored all seven of his points in the second half while Cormier had eight points off the bench.
The Cardinals are back in action on Saturday at Farmingdale State for a 1 PM tip-off.
