MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – Wesleyan University shot 61 percent from the field in the second half to turn a one-point game into a runaway as the Cardinals defeated the Union College men's basketball team by a 82-61 score in non-conference action on Tuesday night at Silloway Gym.
Sophomore
Brian Noone led Union (10-6) with 14 points and junior
Jackson Mannix added 10 points for the visitors, who finished the game shooting just 31.3 percent (20 of 64) from the field. Jordan James led four Wesleyan (13-5) players in double figures with a game-high 25 points on 9-of-11 shooting.
In addition to their hot second-half shooting, the Cardinals had a huge edge on the glass, outrebounding the Dutchmen by a 51-29 margin, which also resulted in a 38-18 edge in points in the paint.
The two teams remained close for the entirety of the first half, with the largest lead for either side coming after a three-pointer by sophomore
Mike Manley put Union up 17-12 with 7:18 gone by in the frame. Eight straight Wesleyan points were then followed by seven straight from the visitors, as sophomore
Mike Concannon gave Union a 24-20 edge with 6:42 left. The Cardinals finished the half on a 9-4 run to take a slight 29-28 lead into the locker rooms.
Union continued to hang with Wesleyan to start the second half, remaining within four points (45-41) following a bucket by sophomore
Chris Lovisolo with 13:07 remaining. A 10-3 Wesleyan run put the home team up by double digits for the first time at 55-44, but soon after a steal and score by Noone brought the Dutchmen back within eight at 57-49 with 8:14 remaining. However, the visitors went nearly four minutes without a field goal and allowed Wesleyan to build up a 16-point lead with 4:28 on the clock and Union could get no closer than 11 the rest of the way.
In the decisive second half, Wesleyan hit 16-of-26 attempts from the field and also hit 16 free throws to secure the victory, while Union connected on 10-of-32 attempts (31.3 percent) from the field.
Union will play the first of eight straight conference clashes to conclude the regular season on Friday against Rochester Institute of Technology beginning at 7:30 p.m. at Viniar Athletic Center.
