Complete Game Notes (PDF)

Wilkes (12-7, 5-4) at Manhattanville (12-8, 4-5)
Saturday, February 5, 2011 / 3:00 p.m. 
Kennedy Gymnasium / Purchase, NY

LIVE STATS
GoValiants.com

LIVE AUDIO
ESPNWilliamsport.com

AT A GLANCE
The Colonels look to extend their winning streak this weekend as they travel to Purchase, NY to take on Manhattanville College on Saturday. WU hopes for a repeat of its earlier meeting, upsetting the 25th-ranked Valiants at home 74-68 back in January. Since then, Manhattanville has gone 2-5 while the Colonels are 5-2, winning their last three in a row.

LAST TIME OUT
The Colonels used a late first half run to take a two-point halftime lead and used that momentum to take control after the break in a 77-64 win over Misericordia on Thursday.

The Cougars led for most of the first half until a layup by Jr. C Kendall Hinze (Lewisberry, PA/Red Land) with 3:25 left put WU on top 30-28. Misericordia regained the lead early in the second half, but the Colonels responded with a 14-3 run followed by a 10-2 run to take control of the game, ultimately winning by 13 points.

Sr. G Chris DeRojas (Dallas/Bishop O'Reilly) led all scorers with a season-high 29 points, connecting on 9-9 FTs. Jr. G Matt Mullins (Binghamton, NY/Chenango Valley) added 14 points and 9 boards while Jr. F Paul Huch (Tuckerton, NJ/Pinelands Regional) and So. G Tyler Breznitsky (Freeland, PA/MMI Prep) both chipped in 10 points.

THE CENTURY MARK
Already hitting the 1,000-point mark as a junior, Sr. G Chris DeRojas (Dallas/Bishop O'Reilly) is now 7th all-time at WU with 1,430 career points. He's gone for 20+ points four times in the last seven games, including a season-high 29 against Misericordia. He went for 24 points in just 25 minutes against Penn College and 26 against Baptist Bible back in December. He's averaging 21.3 ppg over the last four games with a 46.9 FG% (30-64), a 48.0 3FG% (12-25) and a 100.0 FT% (13-13).

DeRojas has a career average of 15.2 ppg with 27 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 17.8 ppg this year is 3rd in the conference.

SHOOTING THE “3”
A pure shooter, DeRojas has hit 214-577 3FGs (37.1%) in his three-plus seasons, including 62 as a freshman. This year he has a 43.6 3FG% (48-110), 4th in the conference and 19th in the nation His 2.5 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 280-318 career free throws, an 88.1 percentage, including a career-best 94 as a sophomore. He's gone 66-71 (93.0%) 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 19 games for the Colonels this year and is t-2nd on the team with 12.8 ppg, hitting double-figures 11 times and scoring 20 points on four different occassions. He leads the team in steals with 27 and has a 41.3 FG% (92-223).

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 35 blocks. He's t-2nd on the team with 21 steals, 2nd with 49 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 12 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 19 games, Huch is averging 28.5 mpg and has a 42.3 FG% (74-175).

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% (95-156) is 2nd in the Freedom and 23rd in DIII. Hinze has posted five double-doubles, including two in last three games, and is averaging 12.8 ppg and 7.6 rpg, 3rd in the conference.

Hinze has reached double-figures in scoring 14 times this year, including a recent streak of seven in a row. Over that stretch, he averaged 14.0 ppg and 8.3 rpg. His 16 blocks are 4th in the conference.

POST EFFICIENCY
So. C Bernard Edmonds (Exeter/Wyoming Area) has been extremely efficient in his 18 games played this season, averaging 5.9 ppg and 3.5 rpg in just 13.5 mpg and has an incredible 65.7 FG% (44-67). 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 five times, including 10 points on 3-5 shooting against Misericordia. For the season Breznitsky is scoring 5.6 ppg with a 52.1 FG% (38-73) and a 38.5 3FG% (10-26) in 18.4 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 32 games played and 11 starts.

Sheldon has played in 18 games and is averaging 15.3 mpg,
starting seven of the last eight 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 14 games and is averaging 5.8 mpg and 1.9 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 200-51 (.797) 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 9-2 at home, including the 74-68 upset of then-25th-ranked Manhattanville.