MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – In a near mirror image to Friday night's come-from-behind win over Bowdoin, the No. 17 Wesleyan men's basketball saw another standout performance from Zach Wolinski '28 lead the Cardinals in a comeback win, this time defeating Colby 81-69 to close out the regular season.
 
Wesleyan (19-5, 9-1 NESCAC) is locked in as the #1 seed for the NESCAC Tournament for the second straight season and the third time in five years. Awaiting the Cardinals in the Quarterfinal round is a showdown against the #8 seed Conn. College, the only team to beat Wesleyan in league play in the regular season, on Saturday afternoon in Silloway Gymnasium.
 
After honoring it's five-player Senior Class of 2026 pregame, the Cardinals built a 12-6 lead behind the all-senior starting lineup. Five different Cardinals scored baskets in the opening  5+ minutes and after Colby had answered back to take a 16-15 lead, Wesleyan netted three-pointers from Jaalan Watson '29 and Wolinski on consecutive possessions as part of an 8-0 scoring run.
 
Wesleyan kept hold of a slim lead before Colby dominated the remaining 7+ minutes of the first half, outscoring the Cardinals 14-4 in a span of nearly five minutes to hold a six-point lead. Neither side could get anything going offensively in the last three minutes of the first half as a Ben Lyttle '27 layup accounted for the only points scored in that time frame.
 
Much like Friday night, when Wesleyan trailed by nine at the half, the Cardinals took quickly tied the score within the opening minute of the second half. The two sides would go on to trade the lead five times and feature eight ties in a span of over 10 minutes before a crucial 8-0 run created some much-needed separation thanks to a three-pointer from Fritz Hauser '26 at the top of the key before Wolinski stepped into a three off a turnover and then another Wolinski basket forced Colby into a timeout.
 
Coming out of the timeout, the Mules scored on consecutive trips down the floor to make it 63-59 Cardinals, but just under two minutes later, Wesleyan stretched their lead to 71-61 as Lyttle canned a corner there right in front of the Cardinal bench to push the Cardinals' lead into double figures for the first time in the game.
 
For every Colby basket down the stretch, the Cardinals answered right back as the Mules would only get to within nine points of the lead and free throw shooting iced the game away for the Cardinals who complete a perfect 11-0 record at home in the regular season.
 
One night removed from scoring 32 points (24 in the second half) against Bowdoin, Wolinski's incredible weekend continued with a career-high 33-point game against Colby. He finished 11-for-18 from the floor and 4-of-7 from three while scoring 23 of his 33 points in the second half. He added six rebounds and four assists to his totals.
 
Lyttle totaled 13 points, 11 rebounds, and two steals as this marked his third double-double of the season and his first since Dec. 29 against Nichols. Hauser shot well, going 5-of-9 from the floor with two three's, on his way to a 12-point game. Sam Pohlman '26 flirted with a triple-double, finishing with eight points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds.
 
The Cardinals open postseason play on Saturday with a Quarterfinal showdown with Conn. College, a team that defeated Wesleyan 84-83 in New London back on January 31 for the lone league defeated suffered by Wesleyan this season. It will be the first time these two sides have met in the postseason since 2002.