HADLEY, Mass. – For the first time in program history, the Wesleyan University Cardinals will host the remaining rounds of the NESCAC Men's Basketball Championship. The top-seeded Cardinals will host No. 7 Trinity at 2 p.m. in the first semifinal on Saturday, February 26. No. 3 Middlebury will play No. 4 Williams in the other semifinal scheduled for 4:30 p.m. at the Freeman Athletic Center. The winners will play for the NESCAC title on Sunday, February 27 at noon.
> Championship Central & Ticket Information
2022 NESCAC MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Friday, February 18 - First Round (at Higher Seeds)
No. 11 Bowdoin def. No. 6 Conn. College, 56-53
No. 7 Trinity def. No. 10 Bates, 67-50
No. 9 Colby def. No. 8 Hamilton, 64-58
Quarterfinals (at Higher Seeds)
Saturday, February 19
No. 4 Williams def. No. 5 Amherst, 70-66
Sunday, February 20
No. 1 Wesleyan def. No. 9 Colby, 82-71
No. 7 Trinity def. No. 2 Tufts, 90-76
No. 3 Middlebury def. No. 11 Bowdoin, 91-72
Semifinals – Saturday, February 26 (at Wesleyan)
No. 7 Trinity at No. 1 Wesleyan - 2 p.m.
No. 4 Williams vs. No. 3 Middlebury - 4:30 p.m.
Championship – Sunday, February 27 (at Wesleyan)
Semifinal Winners - 12 p.m.
Wesleyan (22-3) earned the right to host the remaining rounds of the NESCAC Championship with an 82-71 win over No. 9 Colby in the quarterfinals. With the game tied at 32 at the half, the Cardinals outscored the Mules, 50-39, in the second stanza. First-year Nicky Johnson scored 15 of his 20 points in the final 20 minutes and added nine assists. Senior Sam Peek added a team-high 21 points to go with seven rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Peek, who is one of five Cardinals to average double figures, ranks second in the NESCAC in scoring (18.9 ppg) and is averaging 6.8 rebounds per game. Senior Jordan James is shooting a NESCAC-best 70.9 percent from the floor for the season and averaging 11.3 points and 6.3 rebounds while Johnson leads the conference with 4.4 assists per game. Wesleyan has the highest-scoring offense in the NESCAC at 85.8 points per game and leads the conference in field goal percentage (49.5%) and assists (19.8 apg). Wesleyan has won six straight and has played in two NESCAC Championship games, winning the title in 2015.
Trinity (16-8) is in the NESCAC Semifinals for the second straight tournament and 14th time overall. The Bantams used a strong second-half performance to defeat No. 2 Tufts, 90-76, in the quarterfinals. Trinity trailed by four at the half and outscored the Jumbos, 50-32, over the final 20 minutes. Sophomore Ben Callahan-Gold scored 20 points to lead four Trinity players in double figures. Junior C.J. Redd added 15 points and senior Donald Jorden, Jr. registered 14 points and six rebounds. Jorden, Jr. ranks second in the NESCAC in both rebounding (9.9 rpg) and field goal percentage (57.6%) and is averaging a team-high 14.8 points per game. Callahan-Gold ranks second among the Bantams in scoring (13.7 ppg) and is shooting 38.2 percent from behind the arc to go along with 7.0 rebounds per game. First-year Will Dorian ranks second in the NESCAC among the assist leaders (4.2 apg). As a team, Trinity is holding opponents to 37.7 percent shooting from the field (2nd in the NESCAC) and limiting opponents to a NESCAC-low 26.0 percent from 3-point range. The Bantams are the best free-throw shooting team in the conference, hitting 73.3 percent from the charity stripe. Trinity has won six games in a row entering the weekend and has reached the NESCAC Championship game three times, winning the title in 2008.
Wesleyan and Trinity will meet in the NESCAC Championship for the sixth time. The Bantams improved to 3-2 against the Cardinals in the NESCAC postseason series with a 51-49 win in the 2017 quarterfinals. This season, Wesleyan earned an 82-74 win on its home floor on January 14.
Middlebury (18-5) is playing in the semifinals for the first time since 2017, the last time the Panthers won one of their four NESCAC titles. Middlebury defeated No. 11 Bowdoin, 91-72, in the quarterfinals. Sophomore Noah Osher led all scorers with 22 points and junior Alex Sobel recorded his 18th double-double with 20 points and 14 rebounds while blocking seven shots. Sobel (18.3 ppg), first-year Sam Smith (18.0 ppg), and Osher (17.1 ppg) rank 3-4-5 among the NESCAC scoring leaders. Sobel also leads the NESCAC in rebounding, collecting 12.3 caroms per contest, and Stevens is shooting 39.1 percent from 3-point range, good for second among the conference leaders. The Panthers are the top rebounding team in the conference (44.8 rpg) and rank second in the NESCAC in scoring, averaging 77.3 points per game this season. Middlebury put together a 12-game win streak from Thanksgiving to mid-January and is 4-2 in its last six games.
Williams (16-3) reached the semifinals following a 70-66 quarterfinal win over No. 5 Amherst. The Ephs led nearly wire-to-wire in the contest. Sophomore Cole Prowitt-Smith scored 18 of his game-high 20 points in the second half and classmate Nate Karren added 18 points and seven rebounds. Karren is the Ephs' leading scorer (14.1 ppg) and rebounder (6.3 rpg) to go with 21 blocks while shooting 56.7 percent from the field. Prowitt-Smith is the other Eph averaging double-figures (13.4 ppg) and has a team-high 16 steals while first-year Declan Porter is leading the conference in 3-point shooting (40.7%). The Ephs own the second-best scoring defense in the conference, holding opponents to 62.2 points per game. Williams leads the NESCAC in 3-point shooting (39.2%) and ranks second in field goal percentage (46.8%). The Ephs won 10 straight games to open the season and are 6-2 in their last eight games. Williams has reached the championship game nine times and won the NESCAC title five times (last: 2018).
Middlebury (45.3%) versus Williams (46.8%) will feature two of the top shooting teams in the conference. The Panthers evened the NESCAC Championship series at 4-4 with an 84-62 win in the 2017 championship game in the most recent meeting between the two teams. This season, the Ephs defeated Middlebury, 78-53, on January 22 at Chandler Gymnasium.
