WILKES-BARRE – In a game that was closely contested for all 40 minutes, the Wilkes University men's basketball team fell in a 69-65 heartbreaker to Delaware Valley University in Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom action at the Marts Center on Wednesday evening.

The Colonels fell to 1-2 in MAC Freedom play and 7-7 overall with the defeat.

Neither team was able to keep the momentum in the first half with the Aggies entering the break with a 26-25 lead. Freshman Mark Mullins (Binghamton, NY/Chenango Valley) led the way in the first half for Wilkes, finishing with 13 points and eight rebounds.

The Colonels took a 29-28 lead with 18:07 on the clock following two free throws by junior Zach Brunner (Mechanicsburg, PA/Mechanicsburg), but Delaware Valley went on a 9-0 run over the next two-and-a-half minutes to take a 38-29 lead with 15:25 remaining.

The Aggies pushed their lead to 12 at 43-31 with just over 13 minutes remaining, but Wilkes came storming back to tie the game at 61 with 2:57 left in the game following a three-pointer by sophomore Marcus Robinson (Swedesboro, N.J./Kingsway Regional)., capping a 30-18 run.

Delaware Valley finished the game shooting five of six from the free throw line after struggling from the line from most of the game to pull out the four point win.

Robinson led the Colonels with 17 points and three rebounds. Mullins added 15 points and 12 rebounds for his first career double-double, while sophomore Connor Evans (Cicero, N.Y./Cicero-North Syracuse) contributed 11 points and five assists.

Mike Cianciulli led the way for the Aggies, totaling 22 points. Andre' Butler (18 points, eight rebounds), Tyrea Williams (11 points, 11 rebounds), and Alex Mastinye (10 points) rounded out the double-figure scorers.

Wilkes returns to action on Saturday when it will host Eastern University for a 3 p.m. MAC Freedom contest.