WILKES-BARRE – Visiting DeSales University used 39 points off its bench on way to posting a 79-74 MAC Freedom victory over host Wilkes University Wednesday night at the Marts Center.
 
With the loss Wilkes dropped to 8-6 overall and 1-2 in league games while DeSales improved to 10-4 overall and remained unbeaten at 3-0 in conference contests.
 
The Colonels opened an 11-5 lead five minutes into the first half after Rob Pecorelli (Huntington, NY/Harborfields) scored a layup in transition. Three possessions later DeSales answered when Matt Kachelries scored five unanswered points including a three-pointer that cut the Wilkes lead to 11-10 with 13:40 left in the first half. Wilkes continued to pound the glass after missed shots and Noah Jackson's (Mountain Top, PA/Crestwood) put back pushed the advantage back to the largest of the first frame as the Colonels led 19-12 with 10:16 on the clock.
 
Wilkes kept its lead throughout the next seven minutes of the contest before a 5-0 spurt to end the half kept DeSales within striking distance trailing 35-33 following a Ben Pratt layup right before the halftime horn sounded.
 
DeSales continued its comeback throughout the first four minutes of the second half as scores from Kachelries and a transition dunk by Timmy Edwards put the Bulldogs ahead for the first time in the game leading 41-40 with 16:08 on the clock. Two minutes later another score from Edwards and a fast break layup by Tracy Simsick forced a Wilkes timeout with the Bulldogs ahead 45-40.
 
Wilkes responded with a short run of its own over the next three minutes keyed by Pecorelli who began to heat up from long range. The senior hit a jumper then three-pointer to bring the Colonels all the back taking the lead at 46-45 with 13:09 left in the game. The teams continued to traded baskets before DeSales used a three-point play from Simsick and back-to-back baskets from Ben Pratt and Kweku Dawson-Amoah to extend its advantage to 60-54 with 9:59 remaining.
 
Pecorelli and Sean Coller (Hershey, PA/Hershey) helped bring the Colonels back yet again hitting a driving layup and deep three-pointer on consecutive possession to cut the deficit to one, but once the rally ended DeSales started to build back its lead that it would never relinquish. Scores from Edwards and Kachelries started the 10-2 rally and a three-pointer from Alex House gave the visitors their largest lead of the contest up 71-62 with 4:41 left.
 
Wilkes chipped away cutting the lead down to two, 71-69, with 2:35 on the clock, but 8-of-9 free throws and three missed shots from Wilkes over the final 1:35 sealed the road win for the Bulldogs.
 
Pecorelli led all scorers in the game with 24 points on 8-for-18 shooting including 4-for-8 from long range. Jackson finished with a career-best 13 points and six rebounds off the bench, while Jake Robel (Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex) rounded out the double figure scorers for Wilkes with 12 points and six boards.
 
Kachelries topped DeSales with a team-high 23 points on 7-for-12 shooting including 7-for-9 from the foul line. Off the Bulldogs bench Edwards followed with 17 points, 7-for-7 from the free throw line, and six rebounds while Simsick added 14 points. DeSales scored 24 of its 79 points from the stripe earning the bonus with over 12 minutes left in the second half.
 
The Colonels continue their MAC Freedom push on Friday with a road contest at Eastern University scheduled for 7:00 p.m. The game was originally scheduled for Saturday, but with impending snow in the forecast, the contest was moved a day earlier.