The Bates Bobcats registered their first NESCAC Tournament win since 2012 and joined the top three seeds to advance out of the quarterfinal round of the 2026 NESCAC Men’s Basketball Championship. Top-seeded Wesleyan will host the remaining rounds of the tournament on February 28 and March 1 at Silloway Gymnasium in Middletown, Conn.
The Cardinals, an 87-78 winner over No. 8 Conn. College, will face No. 5 Bates. The Bobcats defeated No. 4 Amherst, 70-59, on the Mammoths’ home floor. No. 2 Tufts will face No. 3 Trinity in the other semifinal matchup. The Jumbos eased to a 99-84 victory over No. 7 Colby, while No. 3 Trinity, the defending NESCAC Champion, pulled out a one-point win over No. 7 Bowdoin, 64-63.
No. 1 Wesleyan (20-5) def. No. 8 Connecticut College (16-9), 87-78 | Box Score
Ben Lyttle posted a double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds as all five Wesleyan starters netted double figures in an 87-78 win over Connecticut College. Sam Pohlman dished out 11 assists to go with 13 points. Zach Wolinski added 16 points (7-for-7 FT) and seven assists, while Fritz Hauser netted 16 points and was 4-for-4 from beyond the arc. Oscar Edelman rounded out the double-digit Cardinal scorers with 15 points. The Cardinals led 43-42 at halftime and extended their advantage in the second half behind balanced scoring, finishing the game shooting 50.8 percent from the floor and 11-of-20 from beyond the arc. For the Camels, Elias Espinosa led all scorers with 21 points, while Greg Cantwell added 18 points, and Dylan Watson posted 14 points and 12 rebounds with four steals. Connecticut College shot 43.1 percent but was outrebounded 42-28 as the Cardinals capitalized on second-chance opportunities with 13 second-chance points. Wesleyan advances to the semifinals for the second straight year and third time in five seasons.
No. 2 Tufts (20-4) def. No. 7 Colby (16-9), 99-84 | Box Score
Scott Gyimesi poured in 29 points and grabbed 13 rebounds and the Tufts Jumbos shot 53.4 percent from the field to cruise past Colby, 99-84, at Cousens Gymnasium. The Tufts offense finished with 46 points in the paint and converted 20 fast-break points. Colby took a 47-45 lead with just over a minute remaining in the first half on a Max Poulton 3-pointer, but Tufts closed the half on a 7-0 run, capped by a Gyimesi bucket at the halftime buzzer, to lead 52-48 at the break. Tufts pushed its lead to double digits in the first six minutes of the second stanza, eventually extending to its largest margin of 17 points late in the game. Dan Civello led Colby with 20 points on 7-for-16 shooting. Poulton finished the game with 16 points, going 4-of-6 from beyond the arc, and Savion Stroud contributed 11 points, nine rebounds, and six assists for the Mules. Jon Medley chipped in 16 points and four assists for Tufts, while Ricardo Nieves added 12 points off the bench and Joshua Bernstein contributed 10 points and seven assists. Tufts returns to the semifinals for the fourth consecutive season.
No. 3 Trinity (23-2) def. No. 6 Bowdoin (15-10), 64-63 | Box Score
In a game that came down to the final possession, Jared Berry came off the bench to score 22 points (9-for-15 FG), and Trinity survived an upset-minded Bowdoin team to edge the Polar Bears 64-63 at Oosting Gymnasium. Neither team led by more than seven points in the back-and-forth game that featured seven lead changes and five ties. Henry Vetter added 14 points and four assists, while Drew Lazarre contributed five points, eight rebounds, and two assists for Trinity. Ray Cuevas led Bowdoin with 17 points and Kevin Reeves posted 11 points and nine rebounds for the Polar Bears. Trinity advanced to the semifinals for the third consecutive year and fifth time in seven seasons.
No. 5 Bates (18-7) def. No. 4 Amherst (18-7), 70-59 | Box Score
The Bobcats and Mammoths were locked at 25-25 at halftime before Bates surged ahead with a 45-34 second-half advantage to post a 70-59 victory at Amherst in the NESCAC Quarterfinals. The victory marked the Bobcats' first over the Mammoths since 2010, and it was Bates’ first NESCAC Tournament win since 2012. Brady Coyne led Bates with 14 points while adding four rebounds. Babacar Pouye contributed 12 points and five rebounds, and Sean O'Leary chipped in 11 points for the Bobcats. Peter Psyhogeos collected a game-high nine rebounds to go along with 11 points. Amherst’s Elias Chin led all scorers with 18 points while Marc Garraud added 16 points and K.J. Neville contributed 13 points and seven rebounds for the Mammoths. Bates controlled the boards 50-35 and limited Amherst to 26.3 percent shooting from the field.
