Complete Game Notes (PDF)

Wilkes (11-7, 4-4) vs. Misericorida (12-7, 5-3)
Wednesday, February 2, 2011 / 8:00 p.m.
Marts Center / Wilkes-Barre, PA

LIVE STATS
GoWilkesU.com

LIVE AUDIO
ESPNWilliamsport.com

AT A GLANCE
The Colonels continue with the second half of their Freedom Conference schedule as they look for revenge against visiting Misericorida University on Wednesday. WU is coming off two straight wins while the Cougars have won four of their last five. They won the first matchup of the season, defeating the Colonels 86-71 in Dallas back in December.

LAST TIME OUT
After struggling with the Devils in the early going WU took advantage of a late first half run, going on to defeat FDU-Florham 67-53 on Saturday at home.

Leading by eight with 3:46 left in the first half, WU went on a 13-5 run to take a 16-point lead into the locker room. The Colonels stretched their lead to as many as 20 points in the second half before FDU used a 19-9 run to get within 10 points with 8:27 remaining. The Colonels kept FDU at bay the rest of the game, eventually winning by 14.

Jr. C Kendall Hinze (Lewisberry, PA/Red Land) finished with his second straight double-double, getting 21 points and 11 rebounds, connecting on 8-11 FGs. Sr. G Chris DeRojas (Dallas/Bishop O'Reilly) added 15 points while So. G Tyler Breznitsky (Freeland, PA/MMI Prep) notched 7 assists.

THE CENTURY MARK
Already hitting the 1,000-point mark as a junior, Sr. G Chris DeRojas (Dallas/Bishop O'Reilly) is now 9th all-time at WU with 1,401 career points. He's gone for 20+ points five times in the last nine games, including a 24-point performance against Penn. He scored a season-high 26 points against Baptist Bible back in December and is averaging 19.0 ppg with a 47.2 3FG% (25-53) over the last seven contests.

DeRojas has a career average of 15.1 ppg with 26 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 17.2 ppg this year is 3rd in the conference.

SHOOTING THE “3”
A pure shooter, DeRojas has hit 212-570 3FGs (37.2%) in his three-plus seasons, including 62 as a freshman. This year he has a 44.7 3FG% (46-103), 2nd in the conference and 19th in the nation His 2.6 3's per game is 3rd in the Freedom.

FROM THE FOUL LINE
In addition to being lethal from the outside, DeRojas has also been successful from the charity stripe. He's hit 271-309 career free throws, an 87.7 percentage, including a career-best 94 as a sophomore. He's gone 57-62 (91.9%) from the line so far this season, tops in the Freedom and 6th best in all of DIII.

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 18 games for the Colonels this year and is 3rd on the team with 12.8 ppg, hitting double-figures 10 times and scoring 20 points on four different occassions. He leads the team in steals with 26 and has a 40.5 FG% (86-213).

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 33 blocks. He's 2nd on the team with 21 steals, 3rd with 45 assists and 4th on the team with 9.6 ppg.

Huch nearly notched a triple-double against Penn, going for 12 points, 14 rebounds and 9 assists in just 27 minutes on the floor. He has four double-doubles on the season, getting them all in the past 11 games. Over that span he's averaging 10.3 ppg and 8.7 rpg, including a 17-point, 18-rebound performance against Curry.

Starting in all 18 games, Huch is averging 28.2 mpg and has a 41.7 FG% (70-168).

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, as his 60.9 FG% (92-151) is 2nd in the Freedom and 23rd in DIII. Hinze has posted five double-doubles, including two in each of the last two games, and is averaging 13.1 ppg and 7.6 rpg, 3rd in the conference.

Hinze has reached double-figures in scoring 14 times this year, including each of the past seven games. Over that stretch, he's averaging 14.0 ppg and 8.3 rpg. His 15 blocks are 5th in the conference.

POST EFFICIENCY
So. C Bernard Edmonds (Exeter/Wyoming Area) has been extremely efficient in his 17 games played this season, averaging 6.0 ppg and 3.4 rpg in just 13.6 mpg and has an incredible 65.6 FG% (42-64). He posted a career-high 22 points in just 23 minutes off the bench against Delaware Valley, converting 9-9 FGs and 4-4 FTs.

Edmonds has started five games for the Colonels, averaging 19.8 mpg, 6.0 ppg and 4.4 rpg in those contests. In the first start of his career against FDU, he posted then-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 four times, including 12 points on 5-7 shooting against Penn. For the season Breznitsky is scoring 5.3 ppg with a 51.5 FG% (35-68) and a 37.5 3FG% (9-24) in 17.9 mpg.

Fellow So. G Cliff Richardson (Bernville, PA/Tulpehocken) has played in all 18 games this season, and has proven to be the Colonels defensive stopper. In the 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 30 games played and 10 starts.

Sheldon has played in 17 games and is averaging 15.5 mpg, starting each 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 13 games and is averaging 6.1 mpg and 2.0 ppg, including 7.4 mpg and 4.4 ppg over a recent five-game stretch. 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 199-51 (.796) 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 8-2 at home, including the 74-68 upset of then-25th-ranked Manhattanville.