MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – Trailing by as many as nine points in the first half and by five at halftime, the Wesleyan men's basketball team flipped a switch and outscored Yeshiva 51-31 in the second half to cruise to an 84-69 win on Monday night from Silloway Gymnasium. A third straight double-digit win moves the Cardinals to 12-4 on the season while the Maccabees see their three-game win streak halted, dropping to 6-8 overall.
 
Facing one another for the fourth straight season, Monday's contest was played at an enjoyable pace with both turnovers and fouls kept to a minimum. The Maccabees came out with purpose, going on a 11-2 run to force a Wesleyan timeout just 5:30 into play. Coming out the timeout, Jaalan Watson '29 subbed in and made an immediate impact, scoring baskets on consecutive possessions before he assisted a Josh Cameron '27 layup in transition. Oscar Edelman '28 connected from deep and had seven points in what was a 18-6 Cardinal run to give Wesleyan a 20-17 lead.
 
In response to the Wesleyan run, Yeshiva leaned on the three-point shot, canning five triples in the final 5+ minutes of the first half to seize a lead going into the halftime break. Zevi Samet hit three of the five three-pointers for Yeshiva, as the senior guard had 21 first half points on 5-of-6 shooting from long range.
 
Withstanding the barrage of three-pointers to end the first half, Wesleyan went to a box-and-one on defense throughout the second half and the newly crowned NESCAC Player of the Week Zach Wolinski '28 came alive after being held to five first half points. Wesleyan scored nine unanswered points in the opening 2:25 minutes in the second half, taking a lead they wouldn't relinquish for the remainder of play.
 
The Cardinals continued to hold a two-possession lead until a 10-0 run pushed Wesleyan's lead to double figures with 10 minutes remaining. Again it was Watson who made a difference, subbing in and hitting a pair of deep three-pointers in transition, the second of which made it 63-49 Wesleyan.
 
A few minutes later, the Cardinals put the game away with another 10-0 run, turning an 11-point lead into a commanding 21-point advantage with under four minutes remaining. Four different Cardinals scored in the run as the benches cleared in the closing minutes before Wesleyan finished off the 15-point home win.
 
Wesleyan shot 62.5 percent (20-for-32) from the floor in the second half and didn't commit a turnover. The Cardinals pushed the pace and totaled 17 fast break points compared to just two for the Maccabees. After scoring 21 first half points, Samet was held to just two points after halftime on 1-for-5 shooting in the second half.
 
Wolinski scored 13 of his 18 points in the second half, going 4-for-5 shooting and 4-for-4 from the free throw line. Edelman totaled 18 points (7-14 FG) and 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. Watson finished with 14 points, hitting his first five shots from the floor, in just 17 minutes. Sam Pohlman '26 added nine points, five rebounds, and five assists while Cameron had eight points off the bench.
 
The Cardinals resume NESCAC play on Friday with a 7 PM tip against Hamilton in Silloway.