WILKES-BARRE – The Wilkes University men's basketball squad hosted the Stevens Ducks for a Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom battle at the Marts Center Saturday afternoon.
 
The Colonels (3-10, 1-5 MACF) went into the locker room tied with the Ducks (5-6, 3-2) but an 11-2 run put the Navy and Gold behind for good as they lost 77-57 to their conference foe.
 
Stevens built up a 12-7 lead with 12:36 remaining in the first half after neither team led by no more than three for the early minutes of the game.  The Ducks built their lead to 15-9 before the Colonels three-point shooting fueled a 12-3 run to bring them back into the lead.  Stevens answered with a pair of triples themselves, and the teams would trade threes one more time to leave the Ducks ahead 27-24.  The threes from the Ducks would fuel an 8-2 run to leave them up 32-26.
 
Junior guard Nickerson DeMelfi's (Newbury Park, CA/Newbury Park) hot hand would lift the Colonels to the locker room tied, outscoring the Ducks for the remaining 5:27 of the half with a trio of threes and a pair of free throws to fuel a 12-6 Colonel run to close the gap.  The Ducks would not be denied, as their 11-2 run to start the second half put them up 49-40, before landing the finishing blow with a 11-4 run to put the Colonels behind for good at 60-44.
 
Four Ducks hit double digit points, with Mike Goodall finishing with 21 points.  Jack Spellman finished with 19 points and nine rebounds with six of eight shooting from the field.  Senior guard Drake Marshall (Gainesville, VA/Patriot) finished with 16 points and eight rebounds.
 
The Colonels look to snap their six-game losing skid with a crosstown trip over to King's Wednesday evening.  Tip is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. as the Colonels lead the live stats era series 11-9 over their rivals.