Wilkes Men's Basketball Remains Unbeaten after Escaping Late LVC Push
ANNVILLE, Pa. – The Wilkes University men's basketball team held a double-digit lead with 3:23 left in the game before Lebanon Valley College staged a furious 9-1 run to end the game as the Colonels escaped with an 83-81 win in the championship of the Rinso Marquette Tournament on Saturday afternoon.
The Colonels remain perfect with a 3-0 record this season.
Wilkes built an early lead nailing six three-pointers over the first four minutes reaching an 18-6 advantage.
The Dutchmen were able to cut the lead to 18-9 less a minute later before the Colonels pushed forward on an 11-0 run, leading 29-9 with 12:37 left in the half after Rob Pecorelli (Huntington, NY/Harborfields) grabbed a rebound on the defensive end and converted a three-point play on the offensive end to cap off the burst.
LVC continued to battle, cutting the lead to 34-28 following a 19-5 run with 4:10 remaining.
Wilkes regained its double-digit lead as the first half came to an end, entering the break with a 48-34 lead.
The game appeared to be in hand as Mark Mullins (Binghamton, NY/Chenango Valley) converted a layup with just over seven minutes remaining to give the Colonels a 17-point advantage at 80-63.
The Dutchmen found late life, going on an 18-2 run to liven the home crowd and cut the lead to just a single point at 82-81, but Marcus Robinson (Swedesboro, NJ/Kingsway Regional) was able to convert one of two free throws with 14 seconds left. Tommy Bowen (Hummelstown, PA/Lower Dauphin) grabbed the offensive rebound on Robinson's second free throw leading to a try at the charity stripe for Landon Henry (Hughesville, PA/Hughesville) with nine seconds left. The attempt was unsuccessful allowing LVC a last-second attempt at a three-pointer that was no good, allowing Wilkes to leave the floor with the win.
Pecorelli finished with a team-high 26 points to go with nine rebounds. Mullins added 22 points and five rebounds while Henry contributed 10 points, the third time in Henry's career he has reached the ten-point plateau.
Zach Tucker finished with a game-high 28 points for the Dutchmen with five assists. Derrick Orr, Jr. added 12 points off the bench while Jeremy Deihm and Chris Anderson added ten points apiece.
The Colonels return to action when they make their home debut on Tuesday, hosting Penn State Wilkes-Barre for an 8:00 p.m. non-conference game at the Marts Center.
