WILKES-BARRE – The Wilkes University Colonels men's basketball team returned to the Marts Center to continue the start of their young season against Penn State-Hazleton Tuesday night.
 
The Colonels (2-0) took command of the game in the first half and never looked back on their way to a 96-58 victory over the Nittany Lions (0-3). 
 
The scoring started slow in the first half, with the Colonels holding the Nittany Lions scoreless until the 15:43 mark.  A pair of threes assisted by senior guard Rob Pecorelli (Huntington, NY/Harborfields) and a pair of free throws from the guard put the Colonels up 8-0 early.  The Nittany Lions cut into the lead with a 5-2 run of their own, but a pair of layups and another three gave the Colonels a 10 point lead. 
 
The Nittany Lions would close within seven around the halfway point of the first half with the game sitting at 19-12, but a 13-2 Colonels run would give them an insurmountable lead.  The Colonels went 11-of-11 from the free throw stripe in the half.
 
The Colonels finished the half up 24 with a 45-21 lead and poured it on in the second half with a 17-1 run to give themselves a 62-22 lead.  The Nittany Lions would have an 11-0 run afterwards, but the Colonels would keep control of the half and gradually build their lead to 38 before closing out the evening with a final score of 96-58.
 
Pecorelli recorded his third double-double of his career with 16 rebounds and 10 assists on the night.  Sophomore guard Sean Coller (Hershey, PA/Hershey) lead the Colonels with 23 points on the evening, his career high.  Junior guard Jack Bova (Camillus, NY/West Genesee) tied his career high in points with 14 on the evening.
 
The Colonels return to the court this weekend to play in the Marymount Tournament Saturday and Sunday.  The Colonels play host Marymount in Arlington, Va. at 1:00 p.m. and will play in the championship or consolation game Sunday depending on the outcome of their first game.  This is the first time the Colonels have met Marymount in the live stats era.