MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – A pair of timely runs proved enough for the Wesleyan men's basketball team in a 69-57 home win over Hamilton on Friday night from Silloway Gymnasium. The Cardinals (13-4, 3-0 NESCAC) up their win streak to four straight while the Continentals (4-11, 1-1 NESCAC) have lost 10 of their last 12 games.
The Cardinals landed the first of two crucial blows at the end of the first half as Wesleyan used an 8-0 run over the final 1:18 of the frame to turn a two-point lead into a 40-30 double-digit point advantage at halftime. Wesleyan got out in transition, getting a three-point play from
Zach Wolinski '28, followed by a
Sam Pohlman '26 layup on the fastbreak who followed that with another three-point play after a
Ben Lyttle '27 steal.
Hamilton followed with a 7-0 run to start the second half, cutting the deficit down to 40-37 just over three minutes in, before the Cardinals followed with what was the difference maker in the end as a 12-0 run in a span of 6+ minutes spotted Wesleyan a 15-point lead, proving too much for Hamilton to overcome in the end.
Jaalan Watson '29 started the 12-0 run with a jumper before Wolinski scored six straight points for the Cardinals.
Josh Cameron '27 converted a put back and another Watson jumper made it 52-37 Wesleyan with 11:44 remaining.
The Cardinals' lead grew to as many as 16 points in the second half, but Hamilton made three three-pointers coming down the stretch to stay within range of Wesleyan. Locked in a six-point game with just over three minutes left,
Oscar Edelman '28 hit his classmate Wolinski with a bounce pass on a cut for an easy layup while the Cardinal defense did the rest, closing out a 12-point win.
Wesleyan dominated two crucial stat categories that helped pave the way in the final outcome. The Cardinals finished +10 in rebounding and 19-8 in offensive rebounds, which helped lead to a 17-0 advantage in second chance points in the game. Couple that with a commanding 21-5 edge in points off turnovers, as Wesleyan coughed the ball up just eight times compared to 17 turnovers for Hamilton.
Wolinski poured in a game-high 21 points (7-16 FG, 7-9 FT), scoring double figures in both halves. Edelman scored 11 of his 13 points in the first half while Pohlman finished with 10 points, a career-high 12 rebounds, and six assists. Watson was a spark plug off the bench, hitting all five of his shots to finish with 10 points and two steals in 16 minutes.
The Cardinals are back in action on Saturday at 3 PM with a matchup against Amherst as Wesleyan looks to avenge a 53-45 defeat to the Mammoths less than two weeks ago.
