Men’s Basketball Advances to Sweet 16 for the First Time in Team History
MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – The already historic 2024-25 season for the Wesleyan men's basketball team reached a new climax on Saturday night as the Cardinals took down Gettysburg 82-60 in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament from Silloway Gymnasium. With the win, Wesleyan (28-1) advances to the Third Round (Sweet 16) of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in team history.
Coming off a 22-point win over Delaware Valley in the First Round on Friday night, the Cardinals won by an identical margin in the win over the Bullets in an all-around terrific team performance. Wesleyan shot 36-for-66 from the floor, good enough for 54.5 percent shooting which is tied for the Cardinals' second-best single-game field goal percentage all season. The Cardinal defense also executed their gameplan effectively, holding Gettysburg to a 1-of-14 showing from three-point territory, just 24 hours removed from the Bullets hitting 42.9 percent with nine makes from beyond the arc in a 16-point First Round win over Chatham.
Wesleyan jumped out to a 11-2 lead just 4:11 into play as Nicky Johnson '25 took advantage of a mismatch with his on-ball defender, as the normal playmaking point guard went into attack mode, scoring six of those 11 points for the Cardinals in the early going. Gettysburg hit right back with a 10-0 run to take a lead at the 12:37 mark and after trading buckets, it was Johnson who again attacked the rim for two points before hitting from long range to give him 11 points after just 8:56 of play.
Johnson continued to dominate the first half, hitting again from long range before dishing out assists on consecutive makes entering the late stages of the first half. After Jackson Cormier '26 sank a pair of free throws, Fritz Hauser '26 swished in a three-pointer that made it 34-24 Wesleyan, giving the Cardinals their first double-digit lead of the game.
Going into halftime leading 41-32, Johnson either scored or assisted on half of Wesleyan's total points scored, as the senior had 14 points and four assists in the first half.
Just over a minute went by at the start of the second half and Gettysburg scored on consecutive possessions, cutting the deficit down to five, but it was Hauser who had the immediate response, hitting a three followed by a quick drive and score from Shane Regan '25 restored the 10-point Wesleyan lead.
The two sides traded blows for the next 10+ minutes, with neither team scoring more than two unanswered points for well over eight minutes. Crossing the midway point of the second half, the Bullets narrowed the deficit down to single digits with 6:52 remaining, but the game-clinching 15-0 spurt for the Cardinals put to bed any potential drama down the stretch.
Johnson got loose at the baseline, taking a pass from Hauser and rose for an uncontested layup. Just over a minute later, Oscar Edelman '28 and Ben Lyttle '27 hit from long range on consecutive trips down the floor, and Cormier finished off the run with a pair of jumpers in close within eight feet of the rim.
Holding their biggest lead of the game at 76-54 with 2:58 left, Wesleyan closed out the contest with a 22-point home win to keep their national title hopes alive heading into next weekend.
The Cardinals showed true grit all night, finishing +14 in rebounding (43-29) while outscoring Gettysburg 52-28 in points in the paint. Wesleyan also won despite attempting eight free throws compared to 16 for the Bullets.
Johnson led the way with a game-high 20 points (9-17 FG) including eight assists against just two turnovers and four rebounds in 35 minutes. Regan had 16 points (8-15 FG) and eight rebounds in a game wherein the senior didn't attempt a three-pointer while he also didn't attempt a free throw for the second straight NCAA Tournament game.
After not making a shot last night against Delaware Valley, Cormier bounced back in a big way offensively with 13 points (5-5 FG), seven rebounds, and three assists while continuing to play stellar defensively. Hauser totaled 12 points (5-10 FG, 2-4 3FG) while Edelman had 10 points and five rebounds off the bench and Lyttle tallied seven points and 10 rebounds.
Wesleyan last played WPI in the 2021-22 season in a game that ended with an 80-56 Cardinal win in Silloway. The winner of that Sweet 16 game advances to the Elite 8 where they will take on the winner of Mary Washington vs. Emory in the other Third Round game played in Middletown on Friday. Wesleyan vs. WPI will tip-off at 7:45 PM.
Coming off a 22-point win over Delaware Valley in the First Round on Friday night, the Cardinals won by an identical margin in the win over the Bullets in an all-around terrific team performance. Wesleyan shot 36-for-66 from the floor, good enough for 54.5 percent shooting which is tied for the Cardinals' second-best single-game field goal percentage all season. The Cardinal defense also executed their gameplan effectively, holding Gettysburg to a 1-of-14 showing from three-point territory, just 24 hours removed from the Bullets hitting 42.9 percent with nine makes from beyond the arc in a 16-point First Round win over Chatham.
Wesleyan jumped out to a 11-2 lead just 4:11 into play as Nicky Johnson '25 took advantage of a mismatch with his on-ball defender, as the normal playmaking point guard went into attack mode, scoring six of those 11 points for the Cardinals in the early going. Gettysburg hit right back with a 10-0 run to take a lead at the 12:37 mark and after trading buckets, it was Johnson who again attacked the rim for two points before hitting from long range to give him 11 points after just 8:56 of play.
Johnson continued to dominate the first half, hitting again from long range before dishing out assists on consecutive makes entering the late stages of the first half. After Jackson Cormier '26 sank a pair of free throws, Fritz Hauser '26 swished in a three-pointer that made it 34-24 Wesleyan, giving the Cardinals their first double-digit lead of the game.
Going into halftime leading 41-32, Johnson either scored or assisted on half of Wesleyan's total points scored, as the senior had 14 points and four assists in the first half.
Just over a minute went by at the start of the second half and Gettysburg scored on consecutive possessions, cutting the deficit down to five, but it was Hauser who had the immediate response, hitting a three followed by a quick drive and score from Shane Regan '25 restored the 10-point Wesleyan lead.
The two sides traded blows for the next 10+ minutes, with neither team scoring more than two unanswered points for well over eight minutes. Crossing the midway point of the second half, the Bullets narrowed the deficit down to single digits with 6:52 remaining, but the game-clinching 15-0 spurt for the Cardinals put to bed any potential drama down the stretch.
Johnson got loose at the baseline, taking a pass from Hauser and rose for an uncontested layup. Just over a minute later, Oscar Edelman '28 and Ben Lyttle '27 hit from long range on consecutive trips down the floor, and Cormier finished off the run with a pair of jumpers in close within eight feet of the rim.
Holding their biggest lead of the game at 76-54 with 2:58 left, Wesleyan closed out the contest with a 22-point home win to keep their national title hopes alive heading into next weekend.
The Cardinals showed true grit all night, finishing +14 in rebounding (43-29) while outscoring Gettysburg 52-28 in points in the paint. Wesleyan also won despite attempting eight free throws compared to 16 for the Bullets.
Johnson led the way with a game-high 20 points (9-17 FG) including eight assists against just two turnovers and four rebounds in 35 minutes. Regan had 16 points (8-15 FG) and eight rebounds in a game wherein the senior didn't attempt a three-pointer while he also didn't attempt a free throw for the second straight NCAA Tournament game.
After not making a shot last night against Delaware Valley, Cormier bounced back in a big way offensively with 13 points (5-5 FG), seven rebounds, and three assists while continuing to play stellar defensively. Hauser totaled 12 points (5-10 FG, 2-4 3FG) while Edelman had 10 points and five rebounds off the bench and Lyttle tallied seven points and 10 rebounds.
Wesleyan last played WPI in the 2021-22 season in a game that ended with an 80-56 Cardinal win in Silloway. The winner of that Sweet 16 game advances to the Elite 8 where they will take on the winner of Mary Washington vs. Emory in the other Third Round game played in Middletown on Friday. Wesleyan vs. WPI will tip-off at 7:45 PM.
