MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – Another typical Wesleyan vs. Williams showdown saw the two sides play elite level defense throughout in a back-and-forth contest that hung around a single digit margin for the bulk of play. In the end, it was a pair of Cardinal seniors who helped win it late for Wesleyan who triumphed in a 65-54 home win over Williams on Saturday night from Silloway Gym. The non-league Little Three win moves Wesleyan to 5-2 on the season and 3-0 against Williams in the last three meetings, while the Ephs drop to 6-2.
 
Points came at a premium throughout this 40-minute battle with the two sides playing committed defense in the halfcourt. Both offenses shot less than 36 percent from the floor in the first half, making transition scoring incredibly valuable with both sides scoring seven points on the fast break in the opening 20 minutes.
 
Jackson Rein came out firing, hitting his first three shots in a 1:10 minute span to move Williams out in front 7-4. Another Rein triple made it 13-9 Ephs and Williams continued to hold a four-point lead before the Cardinals locked down defensively, holding the Ephs without a field goal for nearly eight full minutes of play. Nine straight missed baskets from Williams allowed Wesleyan to turn a four-point deficit into a five-point lead thanks to a 10-1 scoring run.
 
Zach Wolinski '28 hit a corner three off an inbounds pass to give Wesleyan their largest first half lead at 27-21 with 3:28 remaining, but that was the last Cardinal basket before halftime as the Ephs lowered the deficit to 27-26 at the break.
 
After being held scoreless in the first half, Fritz Hauser '26 connected on a three-point basket from the wing as the Cardinals led 32-26 early in the second half. Despite a five-minute lull on offense with just one made basket, Wesleyan's defense kept Williams' offense at-bat and Sam Pohlman '26 cashed in with a three followed by Jackson Cormier '26 getting out loose for a transition layup that forced a Williams timeout.
 
Hauser asserted himself on offense, scoring six straight points for Wesleyan as the game wound down the stretch with under five minutes to play. In a three-point game, Ben Lyttle '27 hit his first and only basket in the game and it was a big one, as his three pointer made it 50-44 and an off-ball foul on Williams' EJ Sommers kept the ball on Wesleyan's offensive end. The Cardinals took advantage of the extra possession, with Pohlman driving the lane for a layup after Oscar Edelman '28 grabbed an offensive rebound off a Wolinski miss.
 
That five-point swing loomed large in the outcome as Williams went to a full court press with over three minutes left. Free throws from Pohlman gave Wesleyan their first double-digit lead with 2:41 left and the senior guard followed with a floater to give the Cardinals their largest lead of the game at 58-46.
 
Back-to-back Williams three-point makes made it 58-52 with 1:28 left, but the Cardinals hit their free throws in the final minute, making seven free throws over the remaining 1:19 minutes to land a 65-54 win.
 
Pohlman scored 14 of his career-high 24 points in the second half, finishing the game shooting 8-for-14 from the floor, 2-of-5 from three, and 6-of-8 at the line. Pohlman added four rebounds and three assists in 34 minutes. Hauser played a key role, scoring all 11 of his points in the second half while adding seven rebounds (three offensive) to his totals.
 
Wolinski was solid throughout, scoring 15 points while grabbing a career-high nine rebounds in 37 minutes. Cormier had eight points while Lyttle had seven rebounds (four offensive), two steals, and two blocks.
 
Wesleyan held Williams to 0 second chance points in the contest while the Cardinals had a decisive 13-4 edge in points off turnovers as the Ephs committed 13 turnovers to just seven for Wesleyan.
 
The Cardinals are back in action at home on Tuesday at 5 PM with a meeting against Lasell.