BALTIMORE Md.— Skidmore senior Connor Merrill doesn't want his season to end, so the talented forward took care of business and scored a season-high 28 points to lead the Thoroughbreds to an 81-66 win over Wesleyan University in the first round of the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament Friday night at Johns Hopkins University.
 
The 20-7 Thoroughbreds will face the winner of the St. John Fisher-Johns Hopkins game played later Friday. The NESCAC champions end their season at 19-9
 
The Thoroughbreds have won a program record nine straight to go along with a record 20 wins.
 
In addition to Merrill's 28 points, Erik Sanders scored 19 and had five assists while Aldin Medunjanin added 16 points and five assists.  Martin Bedulskij contributed eight points and 10 rebounds.
 
Jack Mackey led four Wesleyan players in double figures with 15 points and five assists. BJ Davis and Rashid Epps each had a double/doubles Davis with 14 points and 11 rebounds and Epps with 13 points and 11 boards.
 
Skidmore closed out the first half with a 17-8 run to take a 44-32 lead into the break.  The last five points coming from Merrill, including a put back at the buzzer.
 
Merrill (17) and Medunjanin (14) combined for 31 of the team's 44 points.
 
The Cardinals responded with a 13-0 run to start the second half, regaining the lead on a pair of free throws by Epps at the 13:31 mark for a 45-44 lead.
 

The teams went back and forth over the next several minutes until Skidmore took the lead for good on three consecutive threes. Sanders hit at 9:09 to tie it 53-53 and then put the Thoroughbreds on top 56-53 with another at 8:30. Isaac Carp hit the third three at 7:48 with Sanders assisting for a 59-53 lead.
 
Wesleyan fought to keep it close by reducing a 10-point deficit to four 70-66 on an Epps tip-in with 2:31 to play.
 
Skidmore responded with an 11-2 run to close out the game. The key basket was a Merrill long-distance three off the backboard with 1:18 left to make it a three-possession game, 75-66.
 
"I'm really proud of the guys tonight" said Skidmore coach Joe Burke. "I think we have learned over the years that in the NCAA Tournament you need to rely on what you do and do it at a high level. These guys played Skidmore Basketball for 40 minutes against a very good team, we played tough and together.

"I thought the first half was dictated by our defense and that got us the lead. In the second half, Wesleyan made a rgood run at us but I was proud of how we stuck to the plan and fought them off. This team is about defense and offensive open court opportunities and I thought we played well in both areas tonight.

"We will enjoy it for a few hours and then prepare for another tough opponent."
 
Skidmore went 10-22 (45.5%) from beyond the arc, while Wesleyan was 6-23 (26.1). The game was all about the starters with only 10 points coming from the Thoroughbred bench and five from the Cardinals' reserves.