WILKES-BARRE – Rob Pecorelli (Huntington, NY/Harborfields) netted a career high 23 points while Jack Bova (Camillus, NY/West Genesee) totaled 13 points in 15 minutes off the bench in his first career game to lead the Wilkes University men's basketball team to a season-opening 83-58 victory over Penn State Hazleton at the Marts Center on Wednesday evening.

The Colonels are now 1-0 on the season.

Wilkes led 9-7 with 15:33 left in the first half before Bova hit a jumper and a three-pointer to extend the lead to 14-7.

With the score 17-13 and 10:48 left the Colonels went on a 7-0 run to push the lead to 24-13, killing just over a minute.

Wilkes reached its largest lead of the first half following a Marcus Robinson (Swedesboro, NJ/Kingsway Regional) three-pointer with 45 seconds left to cap off a 19-5 run to end the half leading 43-27.

The Colonels spent much of the second half with a 20-plus point advantage, reaching its largest lead of the game with 3:13 on the clock and again with 2:24 left following Cooper Chaffee (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) layups.

Wilkes was led by Pecorelli's game-high 23 points, including five three-pointers, and career-high eight rebounds with Bova adding his 13 points. Mark Mullins (Binghamton, NY/Chenango Valley) contributed eight points, four rebounds, and a career-high five assists.

Shay Nelson finished with 10 points and five rebounds for Penn State-Hazleton with Robbie Hopkins and Nick Nowak adding nine apiece.

The Colonels bench won the substitute battle 40-20 while scoring 19 second-chance points compared to 12 for Hazleton.

Wilkes returns to the court on Saturday when it travels to Elizabethtown for a 3:00 p.m. non-conference game.