WILKES-BARRE – The Wilkes University men's basketball team battled all game and ultimately earned a hard-fought 63-52 victory over Elizabethtown College on Tuesday evening at the Marts Center.

The Colonels improved to 3-1 on the young season with the victory.

Wilkes jumped out to an early 10-4 lead through seven minutes when Rob Pecorelli (Huntington, NY/Harborfields) found Marcus Robinson (Swedesboro, N.J./Kingsway Regional) on the fast break for a three-pointer. With just under six minutes remaining, Robinson found Clay Basalyga (Clarks Summit, Pa./Abington Heights) on the run for a fast break layup to make the score 20-15. Elizabethtown followed that basket with a 7-0 run to take a 22-20 lead with 1:55 until halftime, but the Colonels entered the half with a 25-22 led following a three-pointer and a layup by Tommy Bowen (Hummelstown, Pa./Lower Dauphin).

Wilkes started the second half on a 7-3 run to open up a 32-25 lead after a Basalyga layup, and the Colonels never trailed the remainder of the game. Elizabethtown eroded the lead to one point at 40-39 with 11:32 left in the game, but the Colonels commenced a 23-8 run to put the game away at 63-47 with 1:35 in the game following a Connor Evans (Cicero, N.Y./Cicero-North Syracuse) layup.

Wilkes had three players finish in double figures, led by Bowen's first career double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Robinson finished with 13 points and seven rebounds while Evans added 13 points and four assists.

Matt Lapkowicz led all scorers with 16 points, and also led Elizabethtown with nine rebounds. Jake Sweger rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10 points.

The Colonels won the battle in the paint, scoring 32 down low compared to 24 for the Blue Jays.

Wilkes returns to the court on Saturday when it will host Marywood in the first round of the Cross County Challenge with tip-off scheduled for 3 p.m.