Steve Finkernagel

Nic Wilkins grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds in the loss against DVC Wednesday night

COLONEL BASKETBALL EDGED BY DVC 62-58 IN DEFENSIVE BATTLE

1/15/2014 10:35:00 PM

Box Score

COLONEL BASKETBALL EDGED BY DVC 62-58 IN DEFENSIVE BATTLE

WILKES-BARRE – Visiting Delaware Valley College saw three players reach double figures in scoring in a hard-fought defensive-minded 62-58 win over host Wilkes University Wednesday night at the Marts Center.

With the defeat, Wilkes slips to 6-7 overall and 1-2 in Freedom Conference play. Delaware Valley improves to 8-6 on the year, remaining perfect at 3-0 in league contests.

Baskets were hard to come by in a game where both teams struggled to find any type of rhythm offensively. With Delaware Valley holding an eight-point lead throughout most of the second half, Wilkes used a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to one 49-48 with just under six minutes on the clock as Cameron Hinkel (Millerstown, PA/Greenwood) and Steve Stravinski (Pittston, PA/Pittston) scored back-to-back buckets in the paint.

A three-pointer from DVC's Nate Brown pushed the lead back to four, but the Colonels responded with one of two free throws from Hinkel and another inside score from Nic Wilkins (Dushore, PA/Sullivan County). Delaware Valley used free throws to extend the lead back to five again and Wilkes answered a second time when Steve Blish (Monroe, NJ/Monroe Township) drove the lane and was fouled calmly sinking both free throws to cut the DVC advantage to one, 58-57 with :18 remaining.

Wilkes was forced to foul and DVC's Nick Sullivan hit both free throws to up the lead back to three, 60-57 with :17 on the clock. From there, Hinkel went to the rim looking for the game-tying three-point play, but the ball roll off the iron as Hinkel settled for two shots from the charity stripe. He would hit one of two and Jay Donovan grabbed the rebound off the missed second shot and was fouled with :4 remaining.

Donovan sank both free throws to seal the win as Delaware Valley escape with a four-point road conference victory.

Both teams struggled from the floor as neither squad shot better than 38 percent from the field. The foul line was also dismal for both squads as DVC shot just 53.3 percent (16-30) from the charity stripe and Wilkes just 51.5 percent (17-33). The teams also couldn't find their touch from long range combining for just seven made three-pointers with the Colonels only managing to connect on three shots from long range.

Tyler Jackson (Cresskill, NJ/Cresskill) came off the bench to score a team-high 11 points. Wilkins was solid inside throughout the whole contest finishing with eight points and a career-high 17 rebounds (five offensive). Blish and Stravinski each added eight points while Blish collected six rebounds in 15 minutes of action.

Francis Arnold led DVC with a game-high 13 points before leaving with an injury. Brown followed with 12 points and six rebounds, while Sullivan rounded out the double figure scorers with 11 points on 3-for-6 shooting from behind the arc.

The Colonels will return to Freedom play Saturday traveling to Purchase, N.Y. for a matchup against Manhattanville College. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.

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