MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – After a back-and-forth first half, the eighth-ranked Wesleyan men's lacrosse team cruised in the final 30 minutes en route to a decisive 21-8 victory over Colby College Saturday afternoon at Citrin Field. The Cardinals outscored the Mules 9-0 in the third quarter as they improved to 7-1 overall and 3-1 in the conference. Carter Hawthorne totaled six points (1g, 5a) and Ronan Jacoby registered five (4g, 1a) to lead the home team. Five players recorded two points for the Mules with Lane Kadish scoring a team-high two goals as they dropped to 4-4 and 1-4. GAME HIGHLIGHTS: The visitors scored the first goal of the game at the 11:50 mark on a score from Charlie Lynch, but Wesleyan took a 2-1 lead with 7:27 on the clock as Jacoby found Matt Chase for the score. With 1:56 remaining, Colton Michel dished it off to Jack Rickards to even the score at 2-2 after one. Kadish put Colby on top in the opening seconds of the second quarter but a 3-0 Wesleyan run capped off by a score from Shayne Gallagher at the 8:15 mark gave the Cardinals a 5-3 advantage. Riley Bergstrom cut the deficit to one with 2:53 in the half but a goal by Owen Shin in the closing seconds put the Cardinals on top 6-4 at the break. It was all Wesleyan in the third quarter as the home team outscored Colby 9-0. Jacoby scored three of his game-high four goals in the third and Tom Martello found the back of the net twice. Trailing 15-4 entering the fourth quarter, Colby came out strong and scored three-straight goals within the first 2:38 to get within eight. However, Wesleyan responded with a 5-0 run to seal the victory. INSIDE THE NUMBERS: Thirteen players recorded a point for the Cardinals. Ben Shapiro went 9-13 on faceoffs and led the team with seven ground balls, and Thomas Clejan recorded four and a game-high three caused turnovers. Otto Bohan made nine saves in 51 minutes between the posts and Colin Hanley made two. Nine players tallied a point for the Mules, while Finn McNamara led the team with five ground balls and Will Dodge, Henry Nelson, and Nick Percarpio each caused two turnovers. Wesleyan was 19-20 on clears and 2-4 on man-up opportunities. The Cardinals won 21-of-33 faceoffs and outshot the Mules 55-28. Their 21 points are the most since May 10, 2017, when they scored 25 in an NCAA Second Round win over New England College. UP NEXT: Wesleyan is back in action on Wednesday, April 3 for a Little Three showdown against No. 2 Amherst on the road. The game is scheduled to start at 6 p.m.