The Wilkes University men's basketball team will host Delaware Valley College tonight in the opening round of the Freedom Conference playoffs. The game will be played in the Marts Center's Henry Gymnasium, with a scheduled tip-off coming at 7 p.m.
The Colonels head into the contest as the fourth seed, after posting a 14-10 overall record and a 10-6 mark in the conference during the regular season. This is the 15th time in the last 16 seasons that Wilkes has made the playoffs. Three Colonels average double-figures in scoring, lead by
Chris DeRojas (Kingston, Pa./Bishop O'Reilly)' 17.8 ppg, which ranked him third in the conference for the regular season. DeRojas also lead the conference in free-throw percentage, hitting 86-of-98 attempts for an 87.8 percent average.
Tom Kresge (Brodheadsville, Pa./Pleasant Valley) scores at a 16.0 ppg clip while pulling in 8.3 rpg, which ranks him fifth and second in the league, respectively.
Steve Kline (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) rounds out the double-digit scoring with 13.4 ppg and grabs 7.2 rpg, while dishing out a team-high 62 assists on the year.
The Aggies earned the fifth-and-final playoff spot after finishing the regular season with a 13-12 overall record and an 8-8 league record. This marks the first time in the last 40 years that Delaware Valley has made the post season of any kind. The Aggies are lead by the Freedom Conference scoring champion James Jones and his 20.3 ppg. Jones ranks second behind only DeRojas in free-throw shooting, hitting 123-of-148 attempts for an 83.1 percent average. Chris Mayo tallies 11.1 ppg while collecting 5.3 rpg, Mike Williams scores 10.3 ppg and grabs a team-high 6.5 rpg, while Jason Seipt ranks second in the conference in assists per game (5.08) and first in steals (2.36), while also adding 9.5 ppg and 3.9 rpg.
This will be the third meeting between the two teams this season, as each has won on the other team's home court. On January 12, Wilkes took at 91-81 overtime victory at Delaware Valley, while the Aggies returned the favor on January 31 when they beat the Colonels in the Marts Center, 81-75. Wilkes is 8-5 at home this season, while Delaware Valley is 6-6 on the road.
The winner of tonight's game will advance to the Freedom Conference semifinals, where they will travel to Center Valley to take on top-seeded DeSales University on Wednesday at 8 p.m.
Because this post-season event is run by the conference, no passes will be accepted. Ticket prices for the game will be $6 for adults, $4 for senior citizens, $2 for students (with ID), and admission will be free for children under 6 years old.
