FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The storybook season for the Wesleyan men's basketball team came to an end on Thursday night in the Final Four as the Cardinals' comeback attempt fell just short in a 73-69 loss to Trinity in the semifinal round of the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Cardinals finish an incredible season with a 30-2 record in what was the team's first-ever Final Four appearance.
 
Meeting for the third time in the 2024-25 season, Wesleyan trailed by as many as 14 points in the second half and stared at a 13-point deficit with 6:13 remaining, but the Cardinals weren't about to go down quietly.
 
Shane Regan '25 hit a three before Josh Cameron '27 scored four points in two possessions, cutting the deficit down to single digits. Nicky Johnson '25 drained his fourth three-pointer of the game to make it 65-60 with 3:40 left. Regan then hit a turnaround jumper in the lane to all of the sudden make it a one-possession game with just under three minutes to go.
 
Henry Vetter's three-pointer hit rim but the loose ball was last touched out of bounds by the Cardinals, giving the ball back to the Bantams who saw Vetter fouled on a baseline drive. Vetter stepped to the line and hit both free throws, making it 69-64 Trinity.
 
Wesleyan had chances down the stretch, even though the Cardinals came up empty on consecutive posessions, Trinity failed to convert at the free throw line. The missed free throws continued to pile up for Trinity in the final minute as Wesleyan made it a 72-69 game with 5.2 seconds left.
 
Facing the full court press, the Bantams managed to inbound the ball to Drew Lazarre who was fouled quickly. Needing to make just 1-of-2 to make it a two-possession game, Lazarre did just that as the clock wound down on the Cardinals' dream season in a 73-69 loss to their NESCAC rivals.
 
In what was the closest of all three meetings between the two sides this season, Wesleyan and Trinity played out another thriller of a game as all three contests were decided by less than 10 points in the 2024-25 season.
 
Both sides showed nerves early, with turnovers and missed shots plaguing both sides in the early going. Trinity strung together some good possessions and used a 9-0 run to hold a 14-8 lead nearing the midway point of the first half. Johnson then stepped into a pair of three-pointers, nailing both on back-to-back possessions.
 
Wesleyan continued to push, stringing together a 12-5 run that included three-pointers from Ben Lyttle '27 (twice), Johnson again, and Fritz Hauser '26 as the Cardinals suddenly held their largest lead of the game at 29-23.
 
Trinity, however, buckled down on defense in the remaining 5+ minutes of the first half, holding Wesleyan to just two points while scoring 10 on the opposite end to hold a 33-31 halftime lead.
 
That momentum carried over into the second half as Trinity made life difficult for Wesleyan on offense, capitalizing with enough offense to build a double-digit lead 5:20 into the second half. That Bantam lead hovered around 10 points for the next 10 minutes, setting up the Wesleyan comeback bid that fell just short.
 
Rebounding played a big role in the outcome, as Trinity won the battle on the boards (46-36) including a 18-11 edge in offensive rebounds. That margin was more pronounced in the first half as Trinity was +9 in rebound margin in the first half including a 10-4 advantage in offensive boards. The Bantams turned those extra possessions into points as they held a 25-16 advantage in second chance points for the game.
 
Johnson led the Cardinals with 19 points (4-6 3FG) and eight rebounds in his final collegiate game. He closes out a stellar career as a three-time All-NESCAC performer with 1438 points (5^th all-time at Wesleyan) and the program's all-time assist leader with 581 in 111 career games.
 
Regan scored 17 points on 8-of-14 shooting, 13 of which came in the second half. Lyttle scored 10 of his 11 points in the first half.