WILKES-BARRE – With just six games remaining in the season, the Wilkes University men's and women's basketball teams prepare to travel to take on the University of Scranton Royals this Wednesday. The women host the Royals at the Marts Center while the men travel up I-81 to battle on the road. Both games are set for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off.
 
Women's: Live Stats | Live Video
Men's: Live Stats | Live Video 
 
Women's Preview
In their last contest, the Colonels earned a massive 60-52 win over Juniata on the road, aided by a 23-point second quarter. This improved the Colonels record to 8-11 overall and 4-8 in Landmark play.

Yamirelis Matos (Springfield, MA/Chicopee) leads the Colonels in scoring averaging 13.3 ppg, the sixth best in the conference. She is followed by Nadia Evanosky (Dallas, PA/Dallas), who is averaging 8.6 ppg. Brenna Babcock (Sweet Valley, PA/Northwest Area) (7.8 ppg), Erin Shober (Reading, PA/Wilson) (6.9 ppg), and Taylor Simpson (Dunmore, PA/Lawrenceville School) (5.4 ppg) round out the team's top five scorers.

Matos also leads the team in rebounds averaging 6.3 rpg, while Shober averages 5.9 rpg.

Shober continues to be a dominant defensive force under the hoop for the Colonels, leading the team and the conference with 65 blocks, good for third in the nation. Her 3.4 blocks per game average puts her fifth in the nation and top of the conference. Matos leads the team in steals averaging 2.7 per game, the fourth best mark in the conference.

Julia Marino (Washington Township, NJ/Washington Township) has been the best ball distributor for the Colonels, leading the team and placing third in the conference with 3.1 assists per game.

Babcock has been one of the Colonels' most consistent shooters, holding a team-best .466 field goal percentage. Meanwhile, Matos leads the team from beyond the arc with a .308 three-point percentage.

The Colonel defense remains one of the stronger groups in the conference, boasting the best opponent three-point field goal percentage (.231), the second best opponent field goal percentage (.331), and most blocks (5.79 bpg). They also have the fifth-most efficient defense in the conference, allowing 61.3 ppg.

On offense, Wilkes sits six in the conference in opponent field goal percentage (.349), and seventh in the conference in scoring efficiency (55.5 ppg) and three-point field goal percentage (.248).

The Royals enter this game on a four-game winning streak, besting Goucher on the road 74-36 in their last outing. They hold a 17-2 overall record and a 10-2 record against conference opponents and are ranked No. 13 nationally by D3hoops.com.

Kaci Kranson leads the team and conference in scoring averaging 16.8 ppg. Kaeli Romanowski is the other Royal in double-digits averaging 10.2 ppg.

Kranson also tops the charts for Scranton in rebounds (7.2 rpg) and field goal percentage (.459). Romanowski leads the team in assists averaging 2.7 apg, and leads the conference and team averaging 3.8 steals per game.

Meghan Lamanna leads the team from beyond the arc with a .425 three-point percentage, and has hit the third-most triples in the conference with 37.

Scranton's offense ranks second in the conference in efficiency averaging 76.1 ppg, and ranks third in field goal percentage (.424) and three-point field goal percentage (.314).

The Royals' defensive unit matches up well with Wilkes, boasting the top unit in the conference in defensive efficiency (46.3 ppg allowed) and opponent field goal percentage (.298), but are third in opponent three-point field goal percentage (.257).
 
Men's Preview
The Colonels were bested on the road at Juniata last time out, falling to a late surge by the Eagles 65-56. The loss drops their overall record to 14-5 and 7-5 against Landmark opposition. They sit tied with Juniata for fourth place in the conference standings.

Lucas Lesko (Northampton, PA/Northampton) leads the team in scoring averaging 15.7 points per game, the fifth-best mark in the Landmark Conference. Cayden Merrifield (Scranton, PA/West Scranton) and Trent Fisher (Sellersville, PA/Pennridge) are the other two Colonels averaging double-digits, both averaging with 14.ppg, putting the duo right behind Lesko in the conference standings at sixth and seventh.

Fisher dominates the stat sheet for the Colonels, leading the team in rebounds (9.1 rpg, second in the conference), assists (3.3 apg, tied-sixth in the conference), and field goal percentage (.569, second in the conference).

The Colonel defense continues to be one of the best units in the Landmark, led by Lesko and Fisher with 1.4 and 1.3 blocks per game respectively, the second and fourth best marks in the Landmark. Joey Zvorsky (New Cumberland, PA/Cedar Cliff) leads the team with 1.7 steals per game.

As a unit, the defense ranks first in defensive efficiency (64.5 ppg allowed) and opponent three-point field goal percentage (.305), and second in the conference in opponent field goal percentage (.400).

The team sits second in field goal percentage (.456), fourth in scoring offense (74.0 ppg), and eighth in three-point field goal percentage (.315).

Scranton comes into this game on a three-game losing streak, losing at Goucher their last time out 64-52. They have a 4-15 overall record and a 2-10 record in Landmark play.

Jon Spatola leads the team in scoring (10.1 ppg), rebounds (5.1 rpg), and assists (3.6 apg). Teddy Spratt leads the team with a .562 field goal percentage, while Cameron Khoza leads from beyond the arc with a .360 three-point percentage.

The Royals' offense sits sixth in the conference in field goal percentage (.432) and three-point field goal percentage (.333), and rank ninth in offensive efficiency averaging 65.5 ppg. Defensively they rank eighth in defensive efficiency (75.8 ppg allowed), and last in opponent field goal percentage (.486) and opponent three-point field goal percentage (.371).