Steve Finkernagel

Kendall Hinze scored a career-high 28 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead Wilkes to the Freedom title game Saturday

WILKES MEN’S BASKETBALL SURVIVES IN OVERTIME TO POST 103-98 WIN OVER EASTERN ADVANCING TO FREEDOM TITLE GAME SATURDAY

2/22/2012 9:48:00 PM

Box Score

WILKES MEN'S BASKETBALL SURVIVES IN OVERTIME TO POST 103-98 WIN OVER EASTERN ADVANCING TO FREEDOM TITLE GAME SATURDAY

WILKES-BARRE – Senior Kendall Hinze (Lewisberry, PA/Red Land) led four Colonels in double figures pouring in a season-high 28 points and grabbing 14 rebounds as second seeded Wilkes University held on for a 103-98 overtime win over third seeded Eastern University Wednesday night at the Marts Center.

With the win Wilkes moves to 17-8 overall and advances to the Freedom Conference Championship game on Saturday against top seeded Misericordia University. Misericordia was a 76-73 winner over fourth seeded FDU-Florham in the other semifinal matchup. Eastern concludes its season at 15-11.

Wilkes held a 63-57 advantage with just under nine minutes left when Hinze scored and was fouled completing the three-point play. Eastern answered as Collin Whipple tied the game at 66 with a mid-range jumper with 6:33 left in regulation. A three-pointer from Paul Huch (Tuckerton, NJ/Pinelands Regional) gave Wilkes the lead back, but it was short-lived as Eastern's Alex Nelson answered with a trey of his own to tie the game for the sixteenth time with 4:45 left. A Hinze layup in the post gave Wilkes a 73-71 lead with 1:46 to play in the second frame, but the Eagles answered on their next possession with a Whipple driving layup to tie the game setting up the final thirty seconds of regulation.

After a Wilkes turnover, Whipple struck again giving Eastern a 75-73 edge with :50 on the clock. Jourdon Wilson (Mechanicsburg, PA/Cumberland Valley) went coast–to-coast tying the game at 75 with :19 remaining for one last Eagles possession. The Wilkes defense was up to the task holding Eastern to a tough fall-away jumper at the buzzer that fell off the rim sending the game into the extra session.

The extra period saw Wilkes open the game up outscoring the Eagles 28-23 over the five minute span. A layup by Wilson followed by a deep trey from Huch gave the Colonels some breathing room up 86-81 with 2:21 remaining. An old-fashioned three-point play from Jeremy Hartman (Little Egg Harbor, NJ/Pinelands Regional) opened the game up giving the Colonels an eight point lead they would never relinquish. Wilkes finished the game going 14-of-18 from the charity stripe to seal its place in the championship tilt on Saturday, the first time the Colonels have reached the title game since 2005-06.

Hinze was a force inside the entire contest finishing 8-for-13 from the field and 12-for-16 from the line. Of his 14 boards, 10 came on the defensive end in 43 minutes of action. He now stands with 992 career points entering the title game Saturday. Huch followed with 24 points on 8-for-11 shooting battling foul trouble throughout. Wilson added 17 tallies and four assists, while Matt Mullins (Binghamton, NY/Chenango Valley) contributed 15 points and four helpers in 43 minutes of play.

Nelson led the Eagles with a game-high 31 points including several deep three-pointers. Whipple followed with 28 points and six rebounds, while Michael Donantoni and Martin Soaries added 14 points each in their final games at Eastern.

Wilkes will now travel to Dallas, Pa. Saturday to face top seeded Misericordia University for the Freedom Conference Championship. Game time is set for 4:00 p.m.

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