DALLAS, Pa. – A barrage of 16 made three-pointers for Misericordia University was the difference as it defeated the Wilkes University men's basketball team by a 90-71 final in Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) play on Wednesday evening.
 
The Colonels are now 1-2 in league play and 3-5 overall.
 
Misericordia started the game on a 7-2 run forcing Wilkes into a 30 second timeout. From there, the Cougars extended the run with eight straight points before a Nickerson DeMelfi (Newbury Park, CA/Newbury Park) three-pointer ended the streak with the score 14-5 with 13:33 on the clock. The Colonels forced Misericordia into a full timeout with just under 12 minutes left after another DeMelfi three ball to make the score 16-10.
 
Wilkes cut the deficit to two with 6:03 left until halftime following a Cayden Merrifield (Scranton, PA/West Scranton) jumper making the score 29-28, but the Cougars finished the half on a 13-3 run, holding a 42-33 lead entering halftime.
 
Misericordia began the second half on a 6-0 run as the Colonels called a 30 second timeout with 18:44 on the clock.
 
Wilkes was unable to stop the Cougars offense as Misericordia shot its way to the victory.
 
The Colonels were led by Trent Fisher (Sellersville, PA/Pennridge), who finished with a game-high 19 points with six rebounds and two assists. Drake Marshall (Gainesville, VA/Patriot) and DeMelfi each added 12 points apiece.
 
Nate Kreitzer led the way for Misericordia, scoring 16 points with seven assists and three rebounds. Joseph Baldachino (14), Kevin Lazdowsky (13), Nick Hornung (12), and Derek Smith (12) all finished in double figures for the Cougars. Misericordia shot 53.3 percent (16-30) from beyond the arc.
 
Wilkes returns to the court on Saturday when it travels to Arcadia for a 3:00 p.m. MAC Freedom contest.