WILKES-BARRE – The Wilkes University Colonels opened up their 2021-2022 MAC (Middle Atlantic Conference) Freedom slate by hosting the DeSales Bulldogs, ranked No. 25 in the d3hoops.com poll, at the Marts Center.
 
The Colonels (2-4. 0-1 MACF) lead for most of the first 40 minutes, but couldn't close the door on the No. 25 Bulldogs (7-0, 1-0) as they fell 65-61 in the late minutes.
 
The Colonels managed to take a 10 point lead in the first five minutes of the game with a barrage of layups to go up 16-6 and led by 19-9 before the Bulldogs answered with a 15-4 run to take a 24-22 edge.  The Colonels finished the half on an 8-3 run thanks to three-pointer sharpshooting to head into the locker room up 36-30 over the ranked Bulldogs.
 
The Navy and Gold continued to pound the paint in the early going of the second half, while senior guard Sean Coller (Hershey, PA/Hershey) started sinking three-pointers to help the Colonels to a 52-43 lead with 13:32 left in the game.  A 9-0 Bulldog run tied up the game at 52-52 and neither team would see more than a four point lead for the remainder of the game.  The teams traded layups and turnovers before sophomore forward Trent Fisher's (Sellersville, PA/Pennridge) layup at 8:18 gave the Navy and Gold a 56-55 lead.  He followed it up with another layup to give the Colonels a 58-55 edge at 6:49 left on the clock. 
 
The Bulldogs went on a 6-3 run to tie the game up at 61-61, with Coller sinking a three at 5:29 to help the Colonels keep pace.  A layup at 2:33 from the Bulldogs gave them the edge for the rest of the game, with the Colonels unable to sink threes and jumpers alike to reply.  The Bulldogs put the finishing touch on the game with 00:22 left with a fast break dunk in the paint to go home with a 65-61 victory over the Colonels.
 
Fisher led all Colonels with 18 points, eight rebounds, and a pair of blocks.  Coller finished three of five from the three point arc.  Elijah Eberly just barely missed out on a double-double for the Bulldogs, finishing with 10 points and nine rebounds while teammate Mason Barnes matched Fisher's total with 18 points.
 
The Colonels continue their opening slate of four MAC Freedom games in December with a trip out to Madison, N.J. to play FDU-Florham.  Tip-off for the game is at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday in a series the Colonels leads in the live stats era 12-8.  The Devils took home the last victory in the series in 2020 in a 94-78 affair at the Marts Center.