MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – Eighth-seeded Connecticut College fell to top-seeded Wesleyan University by an 87-78 final on Saturday afternoon in the quarterfinals of the 2026 NESCAC Men's Basketball Championship at Silloway Gym.

All five starters scored in double digits for the 15th-ranked Cardinals, who outscored the Camels 44-36 in the second half en route to victory. Wesleyan advances to next weekend's semifinals and will play host through the title game. 

Elias Espinosa (Leonia, N.J.) netted a game-high 21 points in the final game of his collegiate career. Greg Cantwell (Glen Head, N.Y.) finished with 18 points, five rebounds and four assists while Dylan Watson (Mount Kisco, N.Y.) supplied a double-double of 14 points and 12 boards. 

Conn came out strong at the start, shooting 5-for-10 from beyond the arc in the opening eight minutes. Watson, Caldwell, Espinosa, Alden Doran (Belgrade, Maine) and Josiah Wright (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) all laced triples as the Camels led 23-19 at the under-12 media break.

Out of the timeout, Wesleyan got a three from Zach Wolinksi that sparked a 16-5 stretch over the next 6:21. Sam Pohlman's jumper with 5:30 to go gave the Cardinals their largest lead of the half at 35-28.

Conn rallied back with the final six points of the stanza, which included a three by Espinosa right before the halftime buzzer. Wolinski led all scorers with 13 points at intermission as Wesleyan held a 43-42 advantage. Watson paced Conn with 11 first-half points while Espinosa tacked on 10.

A pull-up jumper by Cantwell put the Camels back on top to start the second half, but the Cardinals fired back with 11 straight points to take control for good. Ben Lyttle supplied five points during the spurt while Fritz Hauser and Oscar Edelman each chipped in a three.

Midway through the second half, Conn trimmed the deficit to 61-56 following a pair of free throws by Espinosa and back-to-back buckets by RJ Casey (Nashville, Tenn.). However, the Cardinals responded with 10 straight points—including a pair of threes by Hauser—to take their biggest lead at 71-56 with 6:31 to go.

Conn got to within eight in the closing minutes, but no closer. A three-point play by Lyttle was the final dagger, and he finished the game with a team-high 19 points to go with 13 rebounds.

Wesleyan (20-5 overall) shot 51 percent as a team and connected on 11 of 20 attempts from deep. Wolinksi and Hauser finished with 16 points apiece while Edelman and Pohlman added 15 and 13, respectively.

Conn finished the season with an overall record of 16-9.