After a furious rally from Wesleyan in the final three minutes of Saturday's matchup, the men's basketball team was able to pull out a 72-71 victory to secure the eighth and final spot in the NESCAC tournament.
Following Friday's loss to Connecticut College, the team needed a win against Wesleyan to continue its season.
Will Hanley '12 scored the first three points of the game against Wesleyan, making him the 21st player in school history to reach 1,000 career points.
Heading into halftime, the Polar Bears had an eight-point lead. They pulled ahead by as many as 16, and with 3:30 remaining, had a 12-point advantage. But the Cardinals rallied and were able to score on seven consecutive possessions, bringing them within one point with 18 seconds on the clock. A Wesleyan foul with eight seconds remaining sent Hanley to the free throw line. Hanley failed to convert on either free throw, which gave the Cardinals a chance to get down the floor for one last shot. An open three in the right corner hit the left side of the rim and bounced past the hoop as the Polar Bears held on to a one-point victory.
Hanley finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds and Ryan O'Connell '12 added 12 points for the victors.
Free throws continued to plague the Polar Bears, as they have all season, in Friday's loss to Connecticut College.
The team held an eight-point lead with 2:14 left after O'Connell knocked down a three. But the Camels scored on the ensuing possession and started sending the Polar Bears to the line. After missing the front end of three one-and-one situations, and allowing the Camels to go on an 8-0 run, the Polar Bears were only up one with 14 seconds left. Rob Harrigan '13 nailed a three-pointer from the right wing to give the Camels a 62-60 victory.
Conn. College was able to hold Hanley to only eight points. O'Connell stepped up to fill the scoring gap, netting a game-high 15 points on 6-10 shooting. Justin Nowell '12 and Tom Carter '12 added 14 and 10 points, respectively, for the Polar Bears.
The team is 14-9 (3-6 NESCAC) as they head into the NESCAC quarterfinal against Williams on Saturday. The Ephs (23-1, 9-0 NESCAC) are the No. 1 seed for the tournament, and are currently ranked second in the nation. In the last matchup, Williams walked away with an 85-66 victory after surviving a late rally from the Polar Bears.
"Against Williams we just have to make sure we get out on their three point shooters and rebound," said Nowell. "Last game we got killed on the defensive boards which gave them too many chances."