MADISON, N.J. – The Wilkes University men's basketball squad traveled to FDU-Florham Saturday afternoon, seeking to snap a four-game losing skid in the 2021-22 season with a game against their MAC (Middle Atlantic Conference) Freedom rivals.
 
Five Colonels (3-4, 1-1 MACF) hit double digit points as they blew past the Devils (3-5, 0-2) late in the first half in 83-60 fashion.
 
The teams were neck and neck for the first eight minutes of play, with neither side having more than a five-point advantage over the other until first year guard Cayden Merrifield (Scranton, PA/West Scranton) sank a three pointer at 11:56 to give the Colonels an 18-11 lead.  FDU-Florham shaved the advantage down to 20-18 off the back of a 7-2 run, but the Navy and Gold turned on the jets.  A 24-5 run saw 11 points from senior guard Drake Marshall (Gainesville, VA/Patriot) and put the Colonels ahead for good against the Devils.
 
The Colonels went into the locker room up 44-28.  A 4-2 Devil run got them within 14, but the Colonels' lead would never be less than that for the rest of the game.  The Navy and Gold led by as many as 27 points on their way to a 83-60 victory.
 
Sophomore forward Trent Fisher (Sellersville, PA/Pennridge) finished with 16 points and seven rebounds, while Marshall had 15 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists.  Sophomore guard Matthew Davidheiser (Reading, PA/Exeter Township) finished with 15 points and four assists, while Merrifield and junior guard Nickerson DeMelfi (Newbury Park, CA/Newbury Park) rounded out the double-digit Colonels with 10 points apiece. 
 
The Colonels return to action this upcoming Wednesday in the middle of a three-game conference road swing.  They travel to Dallas, Pa. for an 8:00 p.m. tip-off against the Misericordia Cougars.  The teams are tied at 13 wins apiece in the live stats era, while the Colonels took the last game in the series 79-63 back in 2020 at the Marts Center.