Box Score

WILKES-BARRE – Cliff Richardson (Bernville, PA/Tulpehocken) hit a layup with 1:32 left to give Wilkes the lead, and Matt Mullins (Binghamton, NY/Chenango Valley) hit four consecutive free throws to seal the 74-68 victory over No. 25 Manhattanville on Saturday afternoon. The win marks the fourth victory in a row for the Colonels who improved to 7-5 on the season.

Wilkes came into the contest on a three-game win streak, while the Valiants were coming off a rare loss to Moravian on Monday. The Colonels were also searching for their first Freedom Conference victory of the season.

The entire first half was riddled with ties and lead changes, as the game was tied nine different times in the period. Early on, Wilkes was carried by Mullins and Hinze who combined for 12 of the first 20 points for the Colonels. Halfway through the period Wilkes held a two point lead after and steal and basket by Mullins.

The rest of the half was a battle to find open shots, as each team clamped down on defense. Layups by Brendan Sheldon (Milford, PA/Delaware Valley) and Hinze got the Colonels to within one with seven seconds left, and a long three-pointer by Mullins gave Wilkes a 37-35 advantage at the break.

Mullins was the top performer for the Colonels in the first period with 13 points and four assists. Hinze added 10 points of his own while missing only one shot from the field. The Colonels shot over 57 percent in the period and had 20 points in the paint.

The first 13 minutes of the second half belonged to the Valiants who out-scored Wilkes 25-15 over that period of time. One reason Wilkes was able to keep the game close was through the shooting of Chris DeRojas (Dallas/Bishop O'Reilly), who hadn't scored in the first period. The senior hit three three-pointers that helped in never letting the deficit to get to over eight points. With 7:10 remaining, the Colonels were down eight and struggling offensively.

The next three baskets were all scored by Colonels, as Paul Huch (Tuckerton, NJ/Pinelands Regional), Hinze, and Mullins helped bring Wilkes back to within one point and back in the game with 4:28 left to play. DeRojas hit a layup and was fouled soon after, tying the game for an 11th time on the ensuing free throws.

On an out-of-bounds play with 2:02 left the Valiants collected a quick basket to regain the lead from Wilkes. On the next possession DeRojas drove, missed a layup, which was followed by a Mullins miss, which was followed by a Richardson miss, but Richardson didn't give up on the play, ripping down his own miss and finishing the play while giving Wilkes a 67-66 lead. On the other side of the floor, Richardson stepped in front of a Valiant pass, stealing the ball with 1:08 left to play.

Manhattanville had to foul after an offensive rebound by Hinze with 36 second left to play, eventually sending DeRojas to the line where he sunk both of his shots to push the lead to three. Other other side of the floor Manhattanville turned the ball over, fouling Mullins on the ensuing play. Mullins sank both shots only to visit the charity stripe five seconds later. He hit both of those as well, sealing the win for the Colonels. Hinze was the last to shoot for Wilkes, hitting one free throw and ending the game in Wilkes' favor, 74-68.

The Colonels had four players score in double figures on the afternoon, led by Mullins with 22 points, six assists, five rebounds, two steals and the free throws to seal the win. DeRojas had 17 on the night, with all of his points coming when the team needed it most in the second half. Hinze went six-of-eight from the field and had 13 points and three assists, while Huch recorded another double-double, putting in 12 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. He also had three blocks and three assists. Despite scoring just two points, Richardson made some of the biggest plays for the Colonels with his hustle and defense down the stretch.

Wilkes shot a lower field goal percentage on the day, but hit more free throw and had less turnovers than the Valiants. With the victory Wilkes is now 7-5, 1-2 on the season and has four wins in a row.

The Colonels will next play Eastern University on Wednesday, Jan. 12 in St. David's, Pa. That game will begin at approximately 8:00 p.m.