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Jalen Reese slams the ball through the hoop for a dunk against Connecticut College in February 2025
Photo: Josh McKee (https://www.mckeephotoarts.com/)
Jalen Reese '27
77
Hamilton Ham 20-6,7-3 NESCAC
82
Winner Wesleyan (CT) Wes 26-0,10-0 NESCAC
Hamilton Ham
20-6,7-3 NESCAC
77
Final
82
Wesleyan (CT) Wes
26-0,10-0 NESCAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 OT 1 OT 2 F
Hamilton Ham 33 28 7 9 77
Wesleyan (CT) Wes 31 30 7 14 82

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Ken Rix '25

Men's basketball drops heartbreaker in double OT in NESCAC semifinals

Continentals led by nine early in the second half at undefeated Wesleyan

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – The Wesleyan University Cardinals remained undefeated with an 82-77 win against the Hamilton College Continentals after two intense overtime periods in a hard-fought 2025 NESCAC Men's Basketball Championship semifinal inside Wesleyan's Silloway Gymnasium on Saturday, March 1.
 

Season Update

  • Hamilton (20-6 overall), which was the fourth seed for the championship, fell just short of making its second conference final appearance in the last three years. The Continentals had won eight of their previous nine games entering the weekend.
  • The top-seeded Cardinals (26-0) will make their second final appearance in the last four years. Wesleyan plays Trinity College at Silloway Gymnasium on Sunday, March 2 at noon.
 

How it Happened

  • The Cardinals scored the first four points in the second five-minute overtime and opened the period with an 8-2 run. Wesleyan led 76-70 with 1:34 left and Hamilton didn't get within one possession again.
  • The Continentals managed to stay with the Cardinals during the late stages despite losing NESCAC leading scorer Hank Morgan '25 just 19 seconds into the first overtime when he fouled out for the first time this season.
  • Despite losing Morgan, the Continentals battled throughout overtime. Teja Singh '25 followed in Morgan's footsteps by drilling a clutch pull-up jumper that tied the score at 68-68 and forced a second overtime period.
  • Wesleyan stars Shane Regan and Nicky Johnson scored six points apiece in the second overtime and helped seal the deal for the Cardinals.
  • Morgan scored seven points and had assists on three other baskets as the teams were tied at 14-14 with 10:34 remaining in the first half.
  • Morgan set up Connor Jenkins '27 for a three-pointer and silenced the crowd with a steal and powerful fast-break dunk that put the Continentals ahead 19-16 with 9:36 to go.
  • Singh found his rhythm late in the second half, sinking a three-pointer and a mid-range jumper for a 27-24 Hamilton edge with 5:56 left.
  • Matthew Rideout '27 and Morgan drained three-pointers and extended the advantage to seven at 33-26 with 2:03 remaining.
  • The Continentals' lead shrank to two at 33-31 entering halftime after Jackson Cormier knocked down a three and Johnson added two free throws.
  • Hamilton surged to a promising nine-point lead – its largest of the game – after a 9-2 run that opened the second half. The spurt was sparked by five points by Singh and capped off by a dunk by Owen Kane '25.
  • The Cardinals chipped away at their deficit and pulled within two at 44-42 with 12:31 to go in the second half. Wesleyan went on a 10-2 run and led 54-50 with 4:59 left.
  • Neither team led by more than four points the rest of regulation. Morgan took charge with the Continentals trailing 61-59 and the clock winding down. He received the ball and, with just three seconds remaining, coolly sank a mid-range jumper that sent the game to overtime.
 

Notes

  • Morgan paced the Continentals with 21 points and a career-high seven assists.
  • Singh co-led Hamilton with 21 points and scored 45 in two tournament games.
  • Rideout was 3-of-5 from beyond the arc and finished with 13 points off the bench. He hit a three that kept Hamilton in the game with 3:23 left in the second half.
  • Jalen Reese '27 contributed eight points and 18 rebounds, including six on the offensive glass. The 18 boards were the third-highest total by a NESCAC player this season and the most by a Continental in at least the last 12 years.  
  • Regan led all scorers with 27 points as he made all nine of his free-throw attempts.
  • Cormier posted a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
  • Johnson registered 14 points and five assists.
  • Josh Cameron pulled down a team-best 13 boards off the bench.
  • Wesleyan also defeated the Continentals 73-57 in Clinton on Jan. 17.
  • Hamilton shot 6-of-15 from three-point range in the first half.
  • Wesleyan dominated at the line, making more free throws (21) than Hamilton attempted (9).
 

Next Game

The Continentals wait until Monday, March 3 at noon to find out if they get an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III championship. Hamilton is 15th in the March 1 NCAA Power Index (NPI) rankings.
 
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