WILKES-BARRE – Alvernia University's Taliyah Malone buried the game-deciding three-pointer with :18 left to lift the visiting Golden Wolves to a 75-70 victory over host Wilkes University Monday night at the Marts Center.
 
Wilkes dropped to 1-5 overall following the non-conference home defeat while Alvernia improved to 3-2 overall on the season after recording the road victory.
 
Alvernia jumped out to a 19-14 lead after the opening ten minutes using nine points from behind the arc on way to the advantage. Katelyn Kinczel (Highland Heights, OH/Mayfield) buried a three-pointer of her own and Erin Shober (Reading, PA/Wilson) connected on a jumper late in the frame as Wilkes cut the lead to four before an Alvernia score closed out the scoring in the frame.
 
The Colonels fought their way back in the second quarter as Brenna Babcock (Sweet Valley, PA/Northwest Area) drilled a trey then followed with a runner in the lane tying the game at 24 with 3:04 left in the half. A 10-3 Alvernia run over the final three minutes put the Golden Wolves back in control leading 34-27 at the break.
 
The scoring picked up for both squads to start the second half when Maddie Kelley (Dallas, PA/Dallas) drilled back-to-back-to-back three-pointers as Wilkes continued to trail 42-36 midway through the frame. Alvernia answered back with two transition layups and a three-pointer to push the advantage back to double digits, 52-39 with 5:12 on the third quarter clock. Wilkes then used an 11-6 run to close out the quarter thanks in part to three-pointers from Julia Marino (Turnersville, NJ/Washington Township) and Kelley and an old-fashioned three-point play from Gabby Smicherko (Edwardsville, PA/Wyoming Valley West) as the Colonels remained behind 58-51 after three.
 
Wilkes continued to claw its way back thanks to a 9-1 run to start the fourth quarter, eventually tying the game on a Kinczel three-pointer at the top of the key that capped the rally with 6:41 left in the game. A free throw and inside score from Babcock gave Wilkes its first lead of the second half but it was short-lived as Alvernia answered back with a score tying the game at 68 with 2:09 remaining.
 
After two free throws from Alvernia gave the visitors a two-point advantage, Marino drove the left side hitting a tough layup tying the game at 70 with under a minute to play.  After Shober missed a jumper in the paint on Wilkes' next possession, Alvernia pulled down the rebound and hit the game-deciding corner three-pointer with :18 left. From there, a Kendra Smith (Hughesville, PA/Hughesville) three-pointer fell off the mark and Alvernia grabbed the rebound before being fouled to seal the road win.
 
Kelley led all Wilkes scorers with 18 points on 5–of-8 shooting from long range adding nine rebounds. Smicherko followed with ten points and seven assists.
 
Alvernia saw five players reach double figures topped by Dee McCormick's 16 points.
 
Wilkes gets back to MAC Freedom play Thursday when the Colonels travel to Misericordia University for a contest starting at 7:00 p.m. in Dallas, Pa.