GRANTHAM, PA. – The Wilkes University Colonels traveled to face Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Commonwealth foe Messiah Saturday evening.
 
The Colonels (2-2) clawed back within one after a Falcon (2-3) run to end the first half, but were unable to overcome Messiah as they pulled away to an 84-73 victory.
 
The Colonels started the game up 10-4 with five points from senior guard Drake Marshall (Gainesville, VA/Patriot), but the Falcons answered with a 7-0 run to put the Navy and Gold behind the eight ball.  Wilkes would never get closer than four points to the Falcons for the rest of the half, with a three-pointer sealing an 11-2 Messiah run to close the first half up 46-32.
 
The Colonels pounded the Falcons in the paint in the opening minutes of the second half, roaring back to within one off of the back of a 19-5 run.  The Navy and Gold would never see the lead in the second frame, however, as a pair of Falcon threes pushed the Colonels deficit to 60-55 soon after.  The Falcons would lead by as many as 17 points as the game entered its final five minutes, though a 10-point run would cut the Falcon advantage down to 78-71 before Wilkes ultimately fell.
 
Marshall shined for the Colonels with 25 points, shooting 4-of-7 from the three-point stripe and 50 percent from the field.  He added in eight rebounds, five assists, and a pair of steals.  No other Colonel had double digit points, while the Falcons had five in double digits.  The Falcons shot 50.9 percent (27-for-53) from the field, while the Colonels shot 34.8 percent (24-of-69) from the field.
 
The Colonels look to bounce back from their two-game losing skid as they head to the Marts Center for the first time in the 2021-22 season.  They host Marywood for their home-opening tipoff at 7:00 p.m. this next Tuesday.  Wilkes is 8-3 in the live stats era against the Pacers, winning the last iteration of the matchup 89-76 at Marywood in 2019.