For the second consecutive season, Trinity and Wesleyan will play for the NESCAC Men’s Basketball Championship on Sunday, March 1 with tipoff scheduled for Noon at Silloway Gymnasium. The Cardinals surged in the second half to pull away from Bates to book a spot in the NESCAC Final for the second year in a row while Trinity held off Tufts to make its third consecutive championship game appearance.
Trinity is the two-time defending champion, while Wesleyan won its second NESCAC trophy in team history in 2022. The Cardinals snapped the Bantams’ 32-game win streak with a
64-62 win on January 24 at Silloway Gymnasium. The NESCAC postseason series stands at 5-3 after the Bantams defeated Wesleyan, 75-67, in the 2025 NESCAC Championship Game at Silloway.
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME TICKETS
Tickets will be available at the door at Silloway Gymnasium on Sunday, March 1 starting at 10:30 a.m. Doors open at 11 a.m. for the Noon tipoff. Tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for seniors, $3 for students/children 3 and older, and children under 3 are free.
HOW TO WATCH
The game will be streamed via the NESCAC Network and can be viewed on mobile devices, computers, or Roku, AppleTV, and Amazon FireTV via the NESCAC Network app. Visit the app store on your favorite device and search for
NESCAC Network, download the app, and start watching.
CHAMPIONSHIP GEAR
NESCAC Men's Basketball Championship merchandise is available now on SquadLocker. NESCAC Championship gear can be personalized with a name or number and shipped directly to your home. Click the Shop Now button below.
No.1 Wesleyan def. No. 5 Bates, 66-49 | Box Score
Zach Wolinski scored 17 points and Ben Lyttle grabbed 15 rebounds as Wesleyan dominated the second half to defeat Bates, 66-49, in the first NESCAC Semifinal. Wesleyan used a decisive second-half run to pull away after the teams played to a 24-23 halftime score. The Cardinals outscored Bates 42-26 in the second period, shooting 55.6 percent from the field and 60 percent from 3-point range after halftime. Wolinski, who scored all 17 of his points across both halves, hit three triples and went a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line. Lyttle added 11 points and dominated the glass with 15 boards. Sam Pohlman handed out nine assists and 10 points. Bates was limited to 30.3 percent shooting from the field and 22.2 percent from beyond the arc. Elliott Cravitz led the Bobcats with 12 points and Brady Coyne added 10. Wesleyan capitalized on 14 Bates turnovers, resulting in 18 points for the Cardinals. Wesleyan also held an edge in the paint, outscoring Bates 30-14 and generated 18 fast break points.
No. 3 Trinity def. No. 2 Tufts, 80-70 | Box Score
Henry Vetter and Drew Lazarre each scored 16 points as Trinity held off a Tufts charge in the second half to win 80-70 in the NESCAC Semifinals. Trinity built a 47-38 halftime lead, shooting 44.4 percent from the field and 54.5 percent from 3-point range in the first half while going a perfect 9-for-9 from the free throw line. Jarrel Okorougo added 14 points and nine rebounds, David Ayles chipped in 11 points, and Tristan Davis contributed nine points. Tufts, playing without standout Scott Gyimesi, trimmed the deficit to six points midway through the second half behind Joshua Bernstein, who finished with 18 points on a perfect 8-for-8 from the field. But the Bantams responded with timely baskets and free throws down the stretch to maintain their advantage. Lazarre hit a key 3-pointer with under seven minutes remaining to push Trinity’s lead back to seven, and the Bantams never let Tufts get closer than five the rest of the way. James Morakis came off the bench to score 13 points for Tufts and Ricardo Nieves added 10. The Jumbos' 13 turnovers were converted into 19 Trinity points and the Bantams scored 22 second-chance points in the game.
