Complete Game Notes (PDF)

Wilkes (7-5, 1-2) at Eastern (8-3, 2-1)
Wednesday, January 12, 2011 / 8:00 p.m. 
The Gymnasium / St. David's, PA

LIVE STATS
GoEasternEagles.com

LIVE AUDIO
ESPNWilliamsport.com

AT A GLANCE
The streaking Colonels go for their fifth straight win - and sixth in the past seven games - on Wednesday night as they travel to St. David's to take on the Eastern Eagles. WU is coming off of an upset over then-25th-ranked Manhattanville on Saturday, while Eastern has dropped each of its last two games, including a 65-62 loss to DeSales over the weekend.

LAST TIME OUT
In a back-and-forth game that included 12 lead changes and 11 ties, the Colonels got a key rebound and layup from So. G Cliff Richardson (Bernville, PA/Tulpehocken) and a pair of free throws from Jr. G Matt Mullins (Binghamton, NY/Chenango Valley) to secure the 74-68 win over 25th-ranked Manhattanville on Saturday.

A 3-pointer with seven seconds left in the first half by Mullins put the Colonels up by two going into the break, but Manhattanville rebounded to go up 60-52 with 7:10 remaining in the game. A 12-4 run by WU knotted the score a 64-apiece and Richardson's putback with 1:32 put the Colonels ahead for good. Mullins would later ice the game with 14 seconds left, helping WU to the upset.

Four Colonels scored in double-figures, led by Mullins 22 while Jr. F Paul Huch (Tuckerton, NJ/Pinelands Regional) posted a double-double (12 pts, 10 rebs) and Sr. G Chris DeRojas (Dallas/Bishop O'Reilly)' 17 points all came in the second half.

THE CENTURY MARK
Already hitting the 1,000-point mark as a junior, Sr. G Chris DeRojas (Dallas/Bishop O'Reilly) currently sits 32 points outside the WU top 10 with 1,295 career points. He went for 23 points against Marywood and totaled 43 in the Wilkes-Barre Challenge, including 25 against Curry. DeRojas scored a season-high 26 points against
Baptist Bible back in December and is averaging 20.3 ppg over the last six
contests.

SHOOTING THE “3”
A pure shooter, DeRojas has hit 197-537 3FGs (36.7%) in his three-plus seasons, including 62 as a freshman. This year he has a 44.3 3FG% (31-70), 4th in the Freedom Conference.

DeRojas has a career average of 14.9 ppg with 23 20-point games and 4 30-point games, including a career-high of 37 points last year at Lycoming and two seasons ago against Alvernia. His 16.9 ppg this year is 3rd in the conference.

FROM THE FOUL LINE
In addition to being lethal from the outside, DeRojas has also been successful from the charity stripe. He's hit 258-295 career free throws, an 87.5 percentage, including a career-best 94 as a sophomore. He's gone 44-48 (91.7%) from the line so far this season, 2nd best in the conference.

BIG TIME BACKCOURT DUO
DeRojas and Jr. G Matt Mullins (Binghamton, NY/Chenango Valley) have both been on fire since coming back from the holiday break. In the four games in 2011, the two are combining for 41.3 ppg and a 52.4 FG% as the Colonels are a perfect 4-0.

DeRojas has gone 14-28 from 3 during the win streak, scoring 20.8 ppg and posting a 90.5 FT%. He dished out 13 assists and has a 1.4 assist-turnover ratio and is averaging 30.2 mpg.

Mullins has put together the best four game stretch since coming to WU, averaging 20.5 ppg, including a season-high 29 against Marywood. He's shooting an incredible 56.6 pct from the floor, while averaging 3.3 rpg with 15 assists and 7 steals.

THE TRANSFER
After playing in eight games as a freshman at Division I Binghamton, Mullins moved onto Broome C.C. where he earned 1st team all-conference honors in averaging 17 ppg, 5 rpg and 5 apg last year.

Mullins has started all 12 games for the Colonels this year and is 2nd on the team with 15.0 ppg, hitting double-figures eight times and scoring 20 points four times, including three times in the last four games. He leads the team in steals with 18 and has a 44.1 FG% (67-152).

ALL-AROUND THREAT
Jr. F Paul Huch (Tuckerton, NJ/Pinelands Regional) has contributed a lot of ways for WU so far this season, as he leads the Colonels with 7.8 rpg and is also 1st on the team and 2nd in the Freedom with 21 blocks. He's 2nd with 15 steals, 3rd with 29 assists and 4th on the team with 9.8 ppg.

Huch has a team-leading three double-doubles this year, getting them in the last five games. Over that span he's averaging 11.4 ppg and 10.0 rpg, including a 17-point, 18-rebound performance against Curry.

Starting in all 12 games, Huch is averging 27.4 mpg and has a 41.4 FG% (46-111).

MAN IN THE MIDDLE
Entering his first year as a full-time starter in 2010-11, Jr. C Kendall Hinze (Lewisberry, PA/Red Land) has been a force so far for WU down low, leading the team and ranking 2nd in the Freedom with a 62.5 FG% (60-96). Hinze has posted two double-doubles and is averaging 12.5 ppg and 7.1 rpg, 2nd best on the team

Hinze has reached double-figures in scoring eight times this year, including six of the past eight games. Over that stretch, he's averaging 13.3 ppg and 7.4 rpg and has 6 blocks. His block total of 11 for the season ranks 4th in the conference.

He had his best game of the season against Gallaudet in the Scotty Wood Tournament, posting career-highs in points (20), rebounds (12) and minutes (32), while adding 3 assists and 3 steals and converting 9-13 FGs.

POST EFFICIENCY
So. C Bernard Edmonds (Exeter/Wyoming Area) has been extremely efficient in his 11 games played this season, averaging 6.1 ppg and 3.8 rpg in just 15.5 mpg and has a 64.3 FG% (27-42). Playing in just four minutes against Manhattanville on Saturday, Edmonds posted 2 blocks, helping WU to the upset win.

Edmonds has started four games for the Colonels, averaging 23.5 mpg, 7.0 ppg and 4.8 rpg in those contests. In the first start of his career against FDU, he posted career-highs with 12 points and 9 rebounds.

BACKCOURT RESERVES
So. G Tyler Breznitsky (Freeland, PA/MMI Prep) has been fantastic off the bench in the past four games, averaging 7.5 ppg and shooting 57.9% from the floor in four WU wins. For the season Breznitsky is scoring 5.5 ppg with a 54.8 FG% (23-42) and a 47.1 3FG% (8-17) in 16.9 mpg off the bench.

Fellow So. G Cliff Richardson (Bernville, PA/Tulpehocken) has played in all 12 games this season, and has proven to be the Colonels defensive stopper. In Saturday's upset win over Manhattanville, Richardson came up with a huge rebound and putback that put WU up for good, followed by a key turnover on the other end of the court with 1:08 left in the game.

THE FRESHMEN
Among the Colonels seven freshmen this year, Fr. G Craig Thomas (Avenel, NJ/Cardinal McCarrick) and Fr. F Brendan Sheldon (Milford, PA/Delaware Valley) are receiving the most playing time, combining for 22 games played and 5 starts.

Sheldon has played in all 12 games and is averaging 13.7 mpg and has started three of teh past four games. During the Challenge, he averaged 13.5 mpg with 5 rebounds and 3 blocks. He's averaging 2.6 ppg and 3.0 rpg for the season.

Thomas has played in 10 games and is averaging 5.6 mpg and 1.6 ppg. Against Albany Pharmacy, he put in a season-high 8 points on 3-5 FGs with 3 rebounds in 14 minutes.

THE HEAD MAN
Wilkes head coach Jerry Rickrode enters his 19th season at the helm, compiling a 331-142 (.699) career record heading into the season. He has taken the Colonels to the conference playoffs 15 times, including 10 straight from 1992-93-2001-02. He has also led Wilkes to five straight NCAA Tournament appearances (1994-95-1998-99), including four Sweet Sixteens, three Elite Eights and one Final Four appearance. He's also a four-time NABC Mid-Atlantic Region Coach of the Year and a three-time Freedom/MAC Coach of the year.

Wilkes Under Rickrode:
1992-93 16-9 MAC Playoffs
1993-94 20-6 MAC Playoffs/ECAC South Playoffs
1994-95 25-5 MAC Playoffs/NCAA Tournament
1995-96 28-2 MAC Playoffs/NCAA Tournament
1996-97 20-6 MAC Playoffs/NCAA Tournament
1997-98 26-5 MAC Playoffs/NCAA Tournament
1998-99 25-4 MAC Playoffs/NCAA Tournament
1999-00 16-9 MAC Playoffs
2000-01 23-3 Freedom Playoffs/NCAA Tournament
2001-02 15-11 Freedom Playoffs
2002-03 17-7
2003-04 18-9 Freedom Playoffs
2004-05 15-10 Freedom Playoffs
2005-06 14-10 Freedom Playoffs
2006-07 12-11
2007-08 13-12 Freedom Playoffs
2008-09 15-11 Freedom Playoffs
2009-10 13-12
Totals      331-142

THE FRIENDLY CONFINES OF MARTS
The Colonels have been very successful playing at home under Rickrode, putting together a 196-50 (.797) record through this season. In 1997-98, when the Colonels advanced to the Final Four, they went 17-0 and the next year went 14-0, moving on to the Elite Eight. This season the Colonels are 5-1 at home, including the 74-68 upset of then-25th-ranked Manhattanville.