Complete Game Notes (PDF)

Wilkes (9-5, 3-2) vs. DeSales (10-5, 2-3)
Wednesday, January 19, 2011 / 8:00 p.m.
Marts Center / Wilkes-Barre, PA

LIVE STATS
GoWilkesU.com

LIVE AUDIO
ESPNWilliamsport.com

AT A GLANCE
The Colonels will look to stretch their winning streak to six games as they host DeSales University on Wednesday night at the Marts Center. WU looks to avenge its two losses to the Bulldogs last season as DeSales is coming off of a dominant 74-58 home win over FDU-Florham last Saturday.

LAST TIME OUT
Sr. G Chris DeRojas (Dallas/Bishop O'Reilly) scored 12 points in the final 6:31, including a pair of free throws with :05 left, to help give the Colonels a 61-58 with over cross-town rival King's on Saturday at the Marts Center.

WU got out to a 16-6 lead less than nine minutes into the first half before King's fought back and took a 24-23 advantage seven minutes later. The Colonels then finished the last 4:35 out with a 13-4 run to take an eight point lead into the locker room. WU got up on King's by 12 points in the second half, but the Monarchs again came back and held a 49-47 lead with 9:12 left. Both teams went nearly three minutes without scoring, until DeRojas sparked the Colonels by connecting on 4-5 FGs and 2-2 FTs down the stretch to push WU to the win.

DeRojas finished with a game-high 21 points to lead four Colonels in double-figures. Jr. C Kendall Hinze (Lewisberry, PA/Red Land) posted a double-double with 14 points and 11 boards.

THE CENTURY MARK
Already hitting the 1,000-point mark as a junior, Sr. G Chris DeRojas (Dallas/Bishop O'Reilly) moved into the WU top 10 on Saturday with 1,336 career points. He's gone for 20+ points four times in the last five games, including a 21-point performance against rival King's on Saturday. He scored a season-high 26 points against
Baptist Bible back in December and is averaging 21.2 ppg with a 45.1 3FG% (14-31) over the last five contests.

DeRojas has a career average of 14.9 ppg with 25 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 17.4 ppg this year is 3rd in the conference.

SHOOTING THE “3”
A pure shooter, DeRojas has hit 201-547 3FGs (36.7%) in his three-plus seasons, including 62 as a freshman. This year he has a 43.8 3FG% (35-80), 2nd in the Freedom Conference. His 2.5 3's per game is also 2nd 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 267-305 career free throws, an 87.5 percentage, including a career-best 94 as a sophomore. He's gone 53-58 (91.4%) 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 six games in 2011, the two are combining for 38.8 ppg and a 48.8 FG% as the Colonels are a perfect 6-0.

DeRojas has gone 18-38 from 3 during the win streak, scoring 20.7 ppg and posting a 90.3 FT%. He dished out 19 assists and has a 1.6 assist-turnover ratio and is averaging 33.2 mpg.

Mullins has put together the best six-game stretch since coming to WU, averaging 18.2 ppg, including a season-high 29 against Marywood. He's shooting an incredible 52.6 pct from the floor, while averaging 4.2 rpg with 18 assists and 10 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 14 games for the Colonels this year and is 2nd on the team with 14.8 ppg, hitting double-figures 10 times and scoring 20 points four times, including three times in the last six games. He leads the team in steals with 21 and has a 44.0 FG% (77-175).

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 7.6 rpg and is also 1st on the team and 2nd in the Freedom with 26 blocks. He's t-2nd with 16 steals, 3rd with 33 assists and 4th on the team with 9.4 ppg.

Huch has three double-doubles this year, getting them in the last seven games. Over that span he's averaging 10.1 ppg and 9.0 rpg, including a 17-point, 18-rebound performance against Curry.

Starting in all 14 games, Huch is averging 27.9 mpg and has a 40.0 FG% (52-130).

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 63.1 FG% (70-111). Hinze has posted three double-doubles, with his latest being a 14-point, 11-rebound performance in the win over King's on Saturday and is averaging 12.9 ppg and 7.3 rpg, 7th in the conference.

Hinze has reached double-figures in scoring 10 times this year, including eight of the past 10 games. Over that stretch, he's averaging 13.6 ppg and 7.6 rpg and has 8 blocks. His 14 blocks are t-4th in the conference.

POST EFFICIENCY
So. C Bernard Edmonds (Exeter/Wyoming Area) has been extremely efficient in his 13 games played this season, averaging 5.3 ppg and 3.5 rpg in just 14.1 mpg and has a 63.6 FG% (28-44). Playing in just four minutes against Manhattanville last 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 given the Colonels quality scoring off the bench this season, reaching double-figures three times, including in both Wilkes-Barre Challenge games. For the season Breznitsky is scoring 4.8 ppg with a 52.3 FG% (23-44) and a 47.1 3FG% (8-17) in 16.7 mpg.

Fellow So. G Cliff Richardson (Bernville, PA/Tulpehocken) has played in all 14 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 23 games played and 6 starts.

Sheldon has played in all 14 games and is averaging 14.9 mpg, starting five of the past six games. He played his best game of the season against King's, getting season-highs with 10 points and 7 rebounds, going 5-8 from the floor in 28 minutes.

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 197-50 (.798) 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 6-1 at home, including the 74-68 upset of then-25th-ranked Manhattanville.