Box Score

ST. DAVID'S – Chris DeRojas (Dallas/Bishop O'Reilly) scored 20 points and was one of four Colonels to reach double-figures as Wilkes University defeated Eastern University 67-55 in Freedom Conference men's basketball action on Wednesday night in St. David's. It was the Colonels fifth straight victory.

The first half was a tight battle, featuring seven ties and seven lead changes as the teams went into the half knotted at 31-apiece.

The Colonels (8-5, 2-2) opened the second half on a 9-2 run, getting four points from Kendall Hinze (Lewisberry, PA/Red Land) and a three-pointer from Matt Mullins (Binghamton, NY/Chenango Valley). Eastern responded with six straight points, cutting its deficit to 40-39 with 15:02 remaining.

Wilkes responded to the Eagles run with a layup by Cliff Richardson (Bernville, PA/Tulpehocken), followed by another layup-and-one by Hinze to get the Colonels back on top by six.

Both teams would then trade baskets for the next 12 minutes as Wilkes held the lead and Eastern could only get within four points. A layup by Kyle Sims would bring the Eagles within six at 59-53 with 2:27 left as they tried to get back into the game.

Eastern (8-4, 2-2) would start to foul the Colonels, but the plan backfired as Wilkes reeled off six straight points, including a pair of free throws from both Hinze and Tyler Breznitsky (Freeland, PA/MMI Prep) to take a commanding 65-53 lead with less than a minute remaining before finishing off the 12-point win.

Dan Miller came off the bench for Eastern to score 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting and added nine rebounds in 28 minutes. Alex Nelson chipped in with 15 points for the Eagles while Martin Soaries scored 13.

DeRojas finished 7-of-17 from the field, including 2-of-4 from three-point range and added four assists. He's now 12 points outside of the Wilkes top 10 in career scoring. Hinze came in with 16 points and six rebounds while Paul Huch (Tuckerton, NJ/Pinelands Regional) scored 12 points and grabbed eight boards. Mullins finished with 15 points, six rebounds and three steals for the streaking Colonels.

The Colonels will look to continue their success this Saturday as they host cross-town rival King's College. Tip-off will be approximately 3:00 p.m. from the Marts Center in what will be their first meeting of the season.