Box Score

The Wilkes University men's basketball team looked for their sixth straight win on Saturday, taking on the Valiants of Manhattanville College in Freedom Conference action. After a solid first half, Wilkes saw things unravel in the second period, ultimately falling by a score of 73-60.

The game began with each team exchanging baskets, and senior Tom Kresge (Brodheadsville, Pa./Pleasant Valley) starting off with the hot hand, hitting a jumper and three-pointer early in the contest and pulling down three quick rebounds. Poor shooting and sold defense by both teams kept the score close, and halfway through the first period Wilkes was leading 12-10.

The Colonels then established some breathing room, going on a 7-2 run to take a 19-12 lead with 8:10 remaining in the half. Wilkes maintained its lead throughout the period, ending the half with a six point lead, 28-22. The Colonels shot better than the Valiants from the field as well as the free throw line, and out-rebounded Manhattanville by eight. Kresge had 14 points and eight rebounds for Wilkes, shooting 6-7 from the field. Chris Gulla (Berlin, N.J./Eastern Regional) had five points off the bench for the Colonels.

The beginning of the second half saw Manhattanville narrowing the lead on multiple baskets, and with 14:04 left in the game the Valiants tied the score at 32, but Chris DeRojas (Dallas/Bishop O'Reilly) quickly answered with his first three-pointer of the game to regain the lead. The Valiants then went on a 12-0 run, capped off by a three-pointer, giving them a 44-35 lead with 10:54 left to play.

Each team would then catch fire, but Wilkes couldn't put together the run they needed, and with five minutes left found itself down 12 points. Manhattanville improved on its lead, but Kresge made a quick layup and three-pointer with two minutes left to bring Wilkes back to within 10. Wilkes came to within 10 points on a layup by Paul Huch (Tuckerton, NJ/Pinelands Regional), but Manhattanville hit its free throws down the stretch to win by a score of 73-60.

Wilkes got a monster game from Kresge, who ended with 26 points and 11 rebounds. DeRojas added 12 points, while Kendall Hinze (Lewisberry, PA/Red Land) had seven points for the Colonels off the bench. Anthony Gabriel (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Trinity) also had 11 rebounds on the day.

With the loss the Colonels are now 9-4 (1-2) on the season, and will look to bounce back when they host Eastern University on Wednesday, Jan. 13. That game will begin at 8:00 p.m.