MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – Shane Regan '25 scored 20 of his playoff career-high 27 points in the second half, including 17 of Wesleyan's 21 total points scored in the final 10+ minutes of play, to lead the top-seeded Cardinals past the eight-seed Amherst 65-58 in the Quarterfinal round of the NESCAC Tournament. Wesleyan (25-0) remains unbeaten and will face the four-seed Hamilton at home in the NESCAC Semifinal on Saturday, March 1 at 2 PM.
 
Leading by as many as 14 points in the first half and 35-26 at halftime, Wesleyan was in command for the better part of the contest before the Mammoths whittled down the margin before taking a 45-44 lead with 12:11 remaining.
 
It was at that point when Regan put the Cardinals on his back, scoring in the lane and then converting a pair of free throws to make it 48-45 Wesleyan. Both teams struggled to find success on offense, as the Cardinal defense held the Mammoths scoreless for over five straight minutes while drawing three offensive fouls in a span of just 1:04, the third of which being the fifth foul on Will Scherer as the Amherst starting center was sidelined for the remainder of the contest.
 
Just as Regan converted again at the rim, making it 52-47 Wesleyan with 5:20 remaining, Chris Hammond came back and drained a three on the other end. A crucial turnover, forced by Josh Cameron '27, led to yet another Regan bucket on the other end as the senior kept bringing the capacity crowd to their feet.
 
Regan continued to attack the rim, grabbing his own miss and converting a putback, even with the contact as a Ryker Vance foul on the layup made it a three-point play that put Wesleyan ahead 57-51 with 4:01 to play.
 
Amherst, however, kept coming as C.J. Mitchell buried a corner three on the next possession and Vance blocked Fritz Hauser '26 on one end before netting a floater deep in the paint that made it 57-56 Wesleyan with 2:57 to go.
 
Both teams missed shots on their next possessions before Sam Pohlman '26, who had to shoulder the point guard duties with Nicky Johnson '25 sidelined over the final 11:05 minutes, grabbed an offensive rebound after a rare Regan miss, drew a foul, and hit the putback as another three-point play late made it 60-56 Cardinals.
 
Mitchell made both free throws on the ensuing Amherst possession and after Regan missed a three, the Mammoths went to Vance in the post late in the shot clock to try and tie the score. Vance's 3-foot floater spun around the rim and out before players from both sides went diving for the loose ball on the floor. As the referee whistled a jump ball, the home crowd anxiously looked to the scoreboard where the possession arrow was pointing in Wesleyan's favor.
 
Gaining possession, Wesleyan inbounded to Regan who showed true resolve, hitting both free throws in a pressure-packed situation with 17.2 seconds left, putting the Cardinals up 62-58. Amherst then went for a quick two-point field goal as Elias Chin missed a 12-foot floater and the rebound came to Regan who was quickly fouled.
 
Looking to make it a two-possession game, Regan hit nothing but net on two more free throw attempts, and after Bobby Sommers missed a late three-point attempt, Cormier grabbed the rebound to seal the Cardinal win.
 
With the win, Wesleyan advances to the Semifinal round of the NESCAC Tournament for the seventh time in program history and first since 2022. Awaiting the Cardinals are the fourth-seeded Continentals in what will be the first-ever postseason meeting between the two sides. Wesleyan defeated Hamilton 73-57 in Clinton back on January 17 in the regular season.
 
The first half saw Wesleyan jump out to a 10-3 lead behind five quick points from Ben Lyttle '27 while Johnson pulled up to hit from deep to create the seven-point advantage just 4:38 into play. Amherst cut the deficit down to one point and it was back-and-forth from there for a few minutes before an 8-1 Cardinal run made it 29-17 Wesleyan. Oscar Edelman '28 later converted a four-point play to give the Cardinals their largest lead of the game at 35-21 before Amherst scored five unanswered points on their last two possessions to cut the deficit down to nine points at half.
 
Wesleyan shot 50 percent (13-for-26) from the floor in the first half while going 6-of-13 from deep. Amherst, meanwhile, was held to just 34.5 percent shooting (10-for-29) and only 26 points before halftime.
 
Regan was the lone Cardinal in double figures, finishing with 27 points on 9-for-21 shooting, while he went a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line in the second half on his way to a 20-point effort after halftime. He scored 20 of Wesleyan's 30 second half points.
 
Lyttle totaled nine points on 4-of-5 shooting while Johnson added eight points, five assists, four rebounds, and two steals in 26 minutes. Cormier finished with five points, eight rebounds, and five assists including the crucial diving rebound that forced a jump ball with just 20 seconds left in regulation and Wesleyan leading by two points.
 
Wesleyan will host Hamilton on Saturday, March 1 at 2 PM in the NESCAC Tournament semifinal round. Silloway Gym will also serve as the host site for the second semifinal round contest between #2 Trinity vs. #3 Tufts, which will tip later that day at 4:30 PM. The two winning teams will face off in the NESCAC Championship on Sunday at Noon from Silloway Gym.