Box Score
PURCHASE, NY - Chris DeRojas (Dallas/Bishop O'Reilly) finished with a game-high 28 points and Paul Huch (Tuckerton, NJ/Pinelands Regional) posted a double-double with 16 points and 15 rebounds as Wilkes University cruised to a 66-47 win over Freedom Conference opponent Manhattanville College in men's basketball action on Saturday afternoon.
It was the Colonels fourth straight victory as they continue to position themselves for conference postseason play.
Two quick baskets from the Colonels gave them a 4-0 lead and later made it 9-4 after a three by DeRojas. Manhattanville, however, kept it close in the early going, not allowing Wilkes to get ahead by more than five points. After trading baskets with the Valiants, a jumper by Matt Mullins (Binghamton, NY/Chenango Valley) put Wilkes up 19-12 with 5:08 to go in the half, as the Colonels outscored Manhattanville 14-3 the rest of the way to take a 31-15 lead into the break.
The Valiants scored the first four points in the second half, cutting their deficit to 12 at the 18:47 mark. But a layup and one by DeRojas two possessions later was the first of 10 straight points for the Colonels as they extended their lead to 41-19 2:34 later.
Manhattanville (12-9, 4-6) did attempt to chip away at the Colonels lead, as a three-pointer by Trevoy Pointer with 3:26 remaining cut the Valiants deficit to 13 at 57-44, but that was the closest they would get, as Wilkes scored nine of the last 12 points to close out the 19-point win.
Pointer, the Valiants leading scorer, was held to eight points on 3-of-7 shooting, turning the ball over six times in 31 minutes. Felipe Vargas came off the bench to lead Manhattanville with 16 points in just 19 minutes, going 5-of-9 from the field, connecting on two three-pointers.
DeRojas went 9-of-19 from the field and 9-of-10 from the foul line, finishing off his productive week with 57 points in two games. He added four assists and four steals. This was Huch's fifth double-double of the season, as he finished 5-of-12 from the field and 6-of-7 from the line. 12 of his 15 boards were on the defensive end.
The win keeps the Colonels (13-7, 6-4) in the hunt for one of the four spots in the very competitive Freedom Conference. Misericordia also sits at 6-4 after its three-point win over Eastern while DeSales and Delaware Valley, the top two teams with 6-3 marks, will square off tomorrow in Doylestown.
The Colonels return to the court on Wednesday when they host Eastern at the Marts Center. Tip-off will be approximately 8:00 p.m.
