WILKES-BARRE – The Wilkes University men's and women's basketball teams have completed their non-conference schedules and are dialed in to tackle Landmark Conference play for the rest of the season. Up first is a trip to Goucher College to take on the Gophers on Wednesday, January 3. The women's team hit the court first at 4:00 p.m. with the men's game scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
 
Women's: Live Stats | Live Video
Men's: Live Stats | Live Video
 
Women's Preview

The Colonels come into 2024 with a 5-6 overall record and a 1-3 record in Landmark play. They were defeated in their last game against Alvernia University 57-53, their first game back from the holiday break.

Yamirelis Matos (Springfield, MA/Chicopee) leads the Colonels in scoring averaging 13.1 points per game, the sixth best in the conference. She is followed by Nadia Evanosky (Dallas, PA/Dallas) who is averaging 11.2 ppg, but hasn't played since their contest at the University of Scranton due to injury.

In Evanosky's absence, senior Brenna Babcock (Sweet Valley, PA/Northwest Area) has stepped up averaging 8.6 ppg, while Erin Shober (Reading, PA/Wilson) and Emma Stout (Bangor, PA/Bangor) round out the top scorers with a 6.2 ppg and 5.0 ppg average respectively.

Matos and Madison Robel (Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex) are tied for the team lead in rebounds, both averaging 6.3 per game. Senior Erin Shober (Reading, PA/Wilson) sits third on the team with 5.5 rpg.

Shober continues to be a dominant defensive force under the hoop for the Colonels, leading the team and the conference with 36 blocks, averaging 3.3 per game. Robel is tied for second in the conference with 15 blocks, a 1.4 bpg average. Matos leads the team in steals averaging 3.3 per game, the second best mark in the conference.

Julia Marino (Washington Township, NJ/Washington Township) has been the best ball distributer for the Colonels, leading the team and the conference with 3.5 assists per game. She also has the second best assist-to-turnover ratio in the Landmark at 2.2.

Babcock leads the Colonels hitting over half of her shots from the field with a .551 field goal percentage, while Matos leads the team from beyond the arc with a .325 three-point percentage

The Colonel defense remains one of the strongest groups in the conference, boasting the fourth best scoring defense (60.5 ppg allowed), the second best opponent field goal percentage (.332), the best opponent three-point field goal percentage (.221), and most blocks (5.55 bpg).

Wilkes sits seventh in the conference in scoring offense (57.2 ppg) and field goal percentage (.351), while their three-point field goal percentage ranks ninth in the conference at .248.

Goucher are still looking for their first win of the 2023-24 campaign at 0-11 overall and 0-4 in Landmark play. Last time out, the Gophers suffered a 92-33 defeat on the road at Shenandoah.

Merci Turner is the team's top scorer averaging 12.6 ppg, the eighth most in the conference. She is followed by Brianna Johnson averaging 9.9 ppg and Maiya Villanueva with 8.5 ppg.

Turner also leads the Gophers in rebounding averaging 7.1 rpg, the sixth best mark in the conference. Villanueva is sixth in the conference in assists averaging 2.9 apg.

From the field, Turner also leads in field goal percentage at .341, while Julia Cavoli leads from three with a .380 three-point percentage.

Goucher is ninth in the conference in scoring offense (52.6 ppg), and last in team field goal percentage (.288) and three-point percentage (.233). Defensively, the Gophers rank last in scoring defense (87.7) and opponent field goal percentage (.447), and rank ninth in opponent three-point percentage (.321).
 
Men's Preview

The Colonels are off to an electric 10-1 overall start to the season, coming off of a 2-0 record at the Florida Sunshine Shootout during the winter break with wins against Centre College and Hamline University. The Colonels are 3-1 in conference play, their only loss of the year coming against Catholic University.

Lucas Lesko (Northampton, PA/Northampton), who was named Landmark Conference Athlete of the Week this week, leads the team in scoring with 16.4 points per game, the third-best mark in the Landmark Conference. Trent Fisher (Sellersville, PA/Pennridge) and Cayden Merrifield (Scranton, PA/West Scranton) are the other two Colonels averaging double-digits with 14.7 ppg and 12.5 ppg respectively, putting the duo sixth and tenth in the conference.

Fisher dominates the stat sheet for the Colonels, leading the team in rebounds (8.3 rpg, fourth in the conference), assists (2.8 apg), and field goal percentage (.611, second in the conference).

The Colonel defense continues to be one of the best units in the Landmark, led by Lesko with 1.5 blocks per game and Joey Zvorsky (New Cumberland, PA/Cedar Cliff) with 2.5 steals per game, marks that are the third and seventh best in the Landmark in their respective categories.

As a whole, the team ranks at the top of the conference charts in scoring defense (63.0 ppg allowed) and opponent three-point field goal percentage (.283), while also sitting second in opponent field goal percentage (.387). They also sit third in the conference in steals with an average of 8.73 per game.

On offense, the team sits fourth in scoring offense (73.2 ppg), third in field goal percentage (.463), and sixth in three-point field goal percentage (.310).

Goucher enter this game on a three game losing streak, sitting with a 3-8 overall record and a 1-3 record in conference play. Their last game was a 90-64 loss at home against Ursinus College.

Jacob Morgan leads the team in scoring averaging 12.3 ppg, followed by Can Dalli and Liech Kong averaging 10.1 and 9.0 ppg respectively.

Morgan leads the team in assists as well as scoring, averaging 3.4 assists per game, the third-best in the conference. Kong leads the team in rebounds, averaging 6.2 per game to put him tenth in the conference. The first year forward also leads the team in field goal percentage at .430. Dalli leads the team from beyond the arc with a .350 three-point field goal percentage.

Goucher rank seventh in the conference in scoring offense (65.0 ppg) and three-point field goal percentage (.304), but rank eighth in field goal percentage (.397). Goucher have found success on the offensive glass, sitting second in the conference in offensive rebounds averaging 11.7 per game.

Defensively, the Gophers sits seventh in scoring defense (74.6 ppg allowed), seventh in opponent field goal percentage (.442), and sixth in opponent three-point field goal percentage (.323).