Complete Game Notes (PDF)

Wilkes (9-6, 3-3) at Delaware Valley (9-6, 5-1)
Saturday, January 22, 2011 / 3:00 p.m. 
James Work Gymnasium / Doylestown, PA

LIVE STATS
Athletics.DelVal.edu

LIVE AUDIO
ESPNWilliamsport.com

AT A GLANCE
The Colonels wrap up the first half of their conference schedule as they travel to Doylestown to face Freedom Conference leader Delaware Valley on Saturday. WU looks to rebound after its six-game win streak was snapped by DeSales on Wednesday. The Aggies are on a three-game streak, getting a late 78-75 home win over Manhattanville this week.

LAST TIME OUT
WU was never able to get anything going on Wednesday night, falling to DeSales 89-57 at the Marts Center. The loss snapped the Colonels six-game win streak.

The Colonels jumped out to a 10-6 lead less than five minutes into the first half with the help of Jr. F Paul Huch (Tuckerton, NJ/Pinelands Regional). DeSales responded with a 9-0 run to take a five-point lead. The Bulldogs slowly stretched their lead throughout the rest of the first half, taking an 18-point lead into the locker room.

The closest WU came to the Bulldogs in the second half was 16 points as DeSales came away with the huge win. Huch led the Colonels with 13 points and grabbed 6 rebounds, fouling out in 32 minutes. Jr. C Kendall Hinze (Lewisberry, PA/Red Land) chipped in with 11 points and 9 boards.

THE CENTURY MARK
Already hitting the 1,000-point mark as a junior, Sr. G Chris DeRojas (Dallas/Bishop O'Reilly) has moved into the WU top 10 with 1,345 career points. He's gone for 20+ points four times in the last six games, including a 21-point performance against rival King's last Saturday. He scored a season-high 26 points against
Baptist Bible back in December and is averaging 19.2 ppg with a 41.7 3FG% (15-36) 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 16.9 ppg this year is 3rd in the conference.

SHOOTING THE “3”
A pure shooter, DeRojas has hit 202-552 3FGs (36.6%) in his three-plus seasons, including 62 as a freshman. This year he has a 42.4 3FG% (36-85), 3rd in the Freedom Conference. His 2.4 3's per game is also 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 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) were on fire in the first six games back from the holiday break. In those contests, the two combined for 38.8 ppg and a 48.8 FG% as the Colonels won six straight games.

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

Mullins put together the best six-game stretch since coming to WU, averaging 18.2 ppg, including a season-high 29 against Marywood. He shot 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 15 games for the Colonels this year and is 2nd on the team with 14.0 ppg, hitting double-figures 10 times and scoring 20 points four times, including three times in the last seven games. He leads the team in steals with 21 and has a 43.3 FG% (78-180).

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 7.5 rpg and is also 1st on the team and 2nd in the Freedom with 27 blocks. He's 2nd on the team with 16 steals, 3rd with 34 assists and 4th on the team with 9.6 ppg.

Huch has three double-doubles this year, getting them in the last eight games. Over that span he's averaging 10.5 ppg and 8.6 rpg, including a 17-point, 18-rebound performance against Curry.

Starting in all 15 games, Huch is averging 28.2 mpg and has a 40.7 FG% (57-140).


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 for WU down low, leading the team and ranking 2nd in the Freedom with a 60.3 FG% (73-121). Hinze has posted three
double-doubles, with his latest being a 14-point, 11-rebound performance in the win over King's last Saturday and is averaging 12.7 ppg and 7.4 rpg, 6th in the conference.

Hinze has reached double-figures in scoring 11 times this year, including nine of the past 11 games. Over that stretch, he's averaging 13.4 ppg and 7.7 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 14 games played this season, averaging 5.4 ppg and 3.6 rpg in just 13.9 mpg and has a 63.3 FG% (31-49). Edmonds netted 6 points and grabbed 6 rebounds in just 11 minutes against DeSales.

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 4.6 ppg with a 50.0 FG% (24-48) and a 40.0 3FG% (8-20) in 16.4 mpg.

Fellow So. G Cliff Richardson (Bernville, PA/Tulpehocken) has played in all 15 games this season, and has proven to be the Colonels defensive stopper. In last 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 15 games and is averaging 15.3 mpg, starting six of the past seven 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 11 games and is averaging 5.5 mpg and 1.8 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 197-51 (.794) 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 6-2 at home, including the 74-68 upset of then-25th-ranked Manhattanville.