WILKES-BARRE – Wilkes University senior standouts Mark Mullins (Binghamton, NY/Chenango Valley) and Rob Pecorelli (Huntington, NY/Harborfields) each scored 25 points to lead the Colonels to an 86-84 comeback victory over visiting Susquehanna University Saturday afternoon at the Marts Center.
 
The win moved Wilkes to 7-4 overall and snapped a three-game losing skid in the process. Susquehanna dropped to 8-4 overall following the loss which also snapped a four-game win streak for the River Hawks.
 
Susquehanna opened scoring the game's first seven points thanks to five tallies from Matt LaCorte. Wilkes responded with six unanswered points with 15:32 left in the first half capped off by a transition dunk from Jake Robel (Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex). Susquehanna gradually grew back the advantage over the next four minutes taking its largest lead of the frame up 23-13 with 10:50 on the clock forcing a Wilkes timeout.
 
The Colonels battled back again using buckets from Mullins and Donovan Breeding (Manassas, VA/Osbourn) before a three-pointer from Pecorelli trimmed the deficit to 25-20 with just under nine minutes in the half. The River Hawks responded with a 9-0 run of their own over the next four minutes to push the advantage back to 33-22 before a trey by Mullins ended the rally. The teams traded baskets the rest of the half as Susquehanna settled for an eight-point lead 40-32 heading into the break.
 
Turnovers proved costly in the first half for Wilkes as the Colonels finished with 12 miscues leading to 13 River Hawk points. Pecorelli and Mullins combined for 21 points in the opening twenty minutes for Wilkes who shot 44.8 percent (13-29) from the field. LaCorte led all players in scoring in the first frame posting 16 points on 7-for-10 shooting including two treys.
 
Wilkes began its comeback early in the second half as scores from Pecorelli and Mullins cut the deficit to 55-49 with 14:17. Two plays later Bradley Anacreon (Nesconset, NY/Sachem North) scored off an offensive rebound as the lead shrunk to four, the closest margin for Wilkes since the opening tip.
 
The Colonel run (13-5) continued two minutes later as Anacreon buried a three-pointer following a Susquehanna missed layup tying the game at 57 with 12:22 left in the contest. Susquehanna scored five unanswered points and the teams traded baskets over the next six minutes setting up the final five minutes of play.
 
Pecorelli brought Wilkes all the way back scoring five straight points including a trey and driving score tying the game at 68. After back-to-back buckets by Susquehanna, Robel took a turn on the offensive scoring two hoops, including an emphatic dunk on the baseline to tie the game yet again at 75 with 3:05 remaining.
 
Mullins made the comeback complete when he connected on a jumper at the top of the key and after a Susquehanna miss, Breeding drilled a step-back three-pointer to push the Colonel advantage to 80-75 with two minutes left to play.
 
From there Pecorelli made good on two free throws and Jack Bova (Camillus, NY/West Genesee) connected on one of two from the line to keep the Colonels ahead 86-84 with two seconds remaining. Susquehanna had one last chance at an inbound with 0.2 on the clock, but the pass was deflected and time expired as Wilkes held on for its fourth home victory of the season.
 
Pecorelli finished 8-for-12 from the field and 2-for-4 from long range on way to his 25 tallies. Mullins was equally impressive shooting 9-for-15 from the floor and 2-for-4 from three-point range. Pecorelli added nine rebounds and five assists while Mullins posted five boards and three helpers. Robel continued his fine play scoring 10 points and pulling down nine rebounds.
 
Danny Frauenheim led all River Hawk players with 20 points. LaCorte, who scored 16 points in the first half, was held scoreless over the final twenty minutes of play.
 
The Colonels open Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom play Wednesday when they travel to nearby Dallas, Pa. for a matchup with Misericordia University. Tip-off is set for 6:00 p.m.