MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – On a night where all five members of the Wesleyan men's basketball team's starting lineup scored in double figures, the No. 17 ranked Cardinals were efficient on offense and clinical on defense in a 84-69 win over NYU in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday night from Silloway Gymnasium.
The win seals a spot for the Cardinals (23-6) into the Sweet 16 for the second straight season. Prior to 2025, Wesleyan had never made it past the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. Awaiting the Cardinals in the Round of 16 is a familiar foe in Tufts in a game that'll be played either on Friday, March 13 or Saturday, March 14. Tip-off time and game location are not yet known currently.
One night removed from struggling offensively, shooting just 33.3 percent from the floor in a 10-point win over Lehman in the First Round, Wesleyan strung together one of its most-efficient offensive showings on the season against the Violets. The Cardinals shot 29-for-57 (50.9 percent) from the floor and 11-for-23 (47.8 percent) from three in the win. That three-point percentage is the Cardinals' second-best single-game showing on the season. Wesleyan also finished +9 in rebounding margin while holding NYU to their third-lowest point total of the season, despite the Violets hitting 15 three-pointers in the contest.
The Violets came out on fire, hitting their first three three-point attempts to lead 11-6 more than four minutes in. NYU continued to hold a two-possession lead through the midway point of the first half until a 6-0 spurt for the Cardinals pushed the hosts out in front by a score of 30-26. The two sides traded baskets for the last few minutes before the horn sounded on a 39-36 Wesleyan halftime lead.
Just as NYU came out firing from three at the start of the first half, Wesleyan did the same to start the second half as
Fritz Hauser '26 connected from deep twice while
Zach Wolinski '28 made the most of a
Ben Lyttle '27 offensive rebound as he hit from three as well. Wesleyan's lead increased to many as nine points early on but the Violets quickly lowered the deficit down to one as Darren Rubin hit back-to-back threes in the 8-0 NYU run.
The game continued to seesaw back and forth with Wesleyan countering the NYU run with an 8-0 run of their own as Hauser made another triple before sinking three free throws after being fouled from beyond the arc on the next possession.
Jaalan Watson '29 made it 61-51 Wesleyan with 10:42 left, hitting a deep three to make it a double-digit point advantage. As the clock wound under five minutes to play in regulation,
Sam Pohlman '26 hit a turnaround jumper from the key and he followed with another mid-range jumper on the next trip down the floor as Wesleyan led 72-59 with 4:11 left.
NYU could only get to within nine points of Wesleyan's total in the final minutes as free throw makes down the stretch secured the 84-69 win.
After the Violets went 8-for-16 from three in the first half, Wesleyan held NYU to a 7-for-21 showing in the second half from long range. The Cardinals saw their opposition attempt more than half of their shots (37 of 64) from long range as the Violets shot just 37 percent on two-point field goals in the contest.
Wesleyan took great care of the ball, committing just seven turnovers against an active defense in NYU. The Cardinals came into tonight's game with at least 12 turnovers in four straight contests.
Wolinski tossed in a game-high 21 points (7-16 FG, 3-5 3FG) with seven rebounds and two steals. Pohlman scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half, shooting 6-for-11 from the floor to go along with eight assists. Hauser scored all 14 of his points in the second half, shooting 3-for-4 from deep, with six rebounds and three assists.
Oscar Edelman '28 scored all 14 of his points in the first half, as the sophomore forward went 4-for-7 from three which is his most three-point makes since hitting five threes back on Dec. 4 against Worcester State. Edelman added 10 rebounds, three assists, and two blocks to his totals. Lyttle finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists as this marked his fifth double-double in the past six games.
The Cardinals have a week to prepare for the Jumbos of Tufts who they'll see on either Friday or Saturday next weekend. Wesleyan won the regular season meeting in Medford, 68-61, in a game that came down to the final minutes.
