Wilkes Men's Basketball Cruises Past Clarks Summit 106-55
SOUTH ABINGTON, Pa. – The Wilkes University men's basketball team used its final tune up before conference play begins to record its highest single-game point total this season in a 106-55 victory over Clarks Summit University on Saturday afternoon. This is the Colonels first time surpassing the century mark since February 13th, when Wilkes downed King's College 101-72.
The Colonels improved to 5-1 on the season with the win.
The Defenders opened the scoring with two free-throws at 18:44. Wilkes took the lead with an 11-6 run but was unable to push the advantage over Clarks Summit through the first seven minutes.
The Colonels started to pull away following a Mark Mullins (Binghamton, NY/Chenango Valley) layup at the 12:19 mark, starting an 18-0 run over the next four minutes as Wilkes found itself leading 29-8 with just over 8:30 left on the clock. The Colonels remained comfortably in front as the first half ended with Wilkes leading 52-29. The 52 first half point were the most the Colonels have scored since they totaled 63 against Marywood on November 26, 2016.
Wilkes exploded out of the gate in the second half, going on a 50-18 run over the first 15 minutes to reach a game-high 55 point lead at 102-47 as the Colonels easily secured the victory.
Four players finished in double-figures for Wilkes, led by Mullins' 20 points and nine rebounds. Marcus Robinson (Swedesboro, NJ/Kingsway Regional) finished with 19 points and four assists, Rob Pecorelli (Huntington, NY/Harborfields) added 12 points, five rebounds, and three assists, while Tommy Bowen (Hummelstown, PA/Lower Dauphin) contributed 10 points and four rebounds. In all, nine players recorded at least five points.
The Defenders were led by Marcus Dixon's 22 points. Reed Plantz added 12 points and four rebounds.
The Colonels dominated in the paint, outscoring Clarks Summit 44-22. Wilkes turned 16 Defender turnovers into 28 points and recorded 21 points on the fast-break compared to six for Clarks Summit. The Colonels bench came to play, outscoring its opponent 37-13. For the game, Wilkes shot 57 percent (40-70) from the floor and 54 percent (15-28) from long distance while holding the Defenders to 36 percent (19-53) and 22 percent (4-18), respectively.
The big win came at a perfect time for the Colonels, who begin Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) play this Wednesday against Misericordia, with tip-off scheduled for 6:00 p.m. at the Marts Center.
