WILKES-BARRE – Three games remain for both the Wilkes men's and women's basketball teams, and they hit the road this Saturday for their final doubleheader of the regular season away from the Marts Center at Elizabethtown College. The men take the court first at 2:00 p.m. while the women tip-off at 4:00 p.m.
 
Men's: Live Stats | Live Video
Women's: Live Stats | Live Video
 
Men's Preview
The Colonels earned a monumental win at Drew last time out 97-89, led by Cayden Merrifield's (Scranton, PA/West Scranton) 36 point, 11 assist double-double that allowed them to clinch a Landmark Conference playoff berth. The team sits at 17-5 overall and 10-5 in conference play, tying them with the Rangers for third place in the standings.

Lucas Lesko (Northampton, PA/Northampton) leads the team in scoring averaging 15.5 points per game, the fifth-best mark in the Landmark Conference. Merrifield and Trent Fisher (Sellersville, PA/Pennridge) are the other two Colonels averaging double-digits, averaging 15 and 14.9 ppg respectively, putting the duo right behind Lesko in the conference in sixth and seventh.

Fisher dominates the stat sheet for the Colonels, leading the team in rebounds (9.7 rpg, leads conference), assists (3.4 apg, sixth in the conference), and field goal percentage (.581, second in the conference).

The Colonel defense continues to be one of the premier units in the Landmark, led by Lesko and Fisher with 1.4 blocks per game respectively, tied for the second-best average in the Landmark. Joey Zvorsky (New Cumberland, PA/Cedar Cliff) leads the team with 1.6 steals per game.

As a unit, the defense ranks first in opponent three-point field goal percentage (.316), and second in the conference in opponent field goal percentage (.400) and defensive efficiency (65.2 ppg allowed)

Offensively, the team sits second in field goal percentage (.463), third in offensive efficiency (75.7 ppg), and seventh in three-point field goal percentage (.329).

Elizabethtown come into this game having lost four of their last five, including a defeat at Goucher this past Wednesday 87-78. They hold an 8-14 overall record and a 5-10 record against conference opposition.

Rance Russo leads the Blue Jays in scoring averaging 16.4 ppg, the fourth-best average in the Landmark Conference. He is followed by Austin Finarelli, who is averaging 14.1 ppg. Niko Georgelis leads the team in rebounding averaging 5.4 rpg, and EJ Finney leads in assists averaging 2.5 apg.

Finarelli also leads the Blue Jays in field goal percentage (.475, three-point percentage (.360), and steals (2.3 steals per game, tied-best in the Landmark).

Elizabethtown hold the sixth most efficient offense in the conference averaging 71.2 ppg, and rank eighth in field goal percentage (.417) and last in three-point percentage (.292). Defensively, the Blue Jays rank sixth in opponent field goal percentage (.443), seventh in defensive efficiency (76.2 ppg allowed), and ninth in opponent three-point percentage (.364).
 
Women's Preview
The Colonels lost a thrilling game against Drew in their last contest, falling to the Rangers in overtime 64-56. They hold an 8-14 record overall and a 4-11 record in Landmark play.

Yamirelis Matos (Springfield, MA/Chicopee) leads the Colonels in scoring averaging 13.0 ppg, the sixth-best in the conference. She is followed by Brenna Babcock (Sweet Valley, PA/Northwest Area), who is averaging 8.4 ppg. Nadia Evanosky (Dallas, PA/Dallas) (8.0 ppg), Erin Shober (Reading, PA/Wilson) (7.5 ppg), and Taylor Simpson (Dunmore, PA/Lawrenceville School) (5.3 ppg) round out the team's top five scorers.

Shober leads the team in rebounds averaging 6.1 rpg, while Matos sits close behind averaging 6.0 rpg.

Shober continues to be a dominant defensive force under the hoop for the Colonels, breaking the program record for blocks in a single season in the game against Drew. The senior center leads the team and the conference with 71 blocks, good for a tied fifth place in the nation. Her 3.2 blocks per game average puts her seventh in the nation and top of the conference. Matos leads the team in steals averaging 2.5 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 fifth in the conference with 3.0 assists per game.

Babcock has been one of the Colonels' most consistent shooters, holding a team-best .493 field goal percentage. Meanwhile, Matos leads the team from beyond the arc with a .315 three-point percentage.

The Colonel defense boasts the most blocks in the conference (5.79 bpg) and the best opponent three-point field goal percentage only allowing .245 percent of shots from beyond the arc. They also hold the fourth-best opponent field goal percentage (.341) and the sixth-most efficient defense in the conference, allowing 63.4 ppg.

On offense, Wilkes sits fifth in the conference in field goal percentage (.358), and seventh in three-point field goal percentage (.251) and scoring efficiency (55.8 ppg allowed).

Elizabethtown welcome the Colonels to Thompson Gymnasium on a two-game winning streak, defeating Goucher on Wednesday night 97-55 to boost their overall record to 16-6 with a 12-3 record against conference competition.

Summer McNulty leads the Blue Jays averaging 15.5 ppg, the third-best average in the conference. Cyleigh Wilson is the other double-digit scorer, averaging 14.1 ppg.

Jessica King leads the team in rebounding and sits second in the conference with 9.0 rpg. McNulty is also the team leader in assists averaging 3.5 apg, also good for second in the conference.

Wilson, like Finarelli on the men's team, leads the Blue Jays in field goal percentage and from beyond the arc at .498 and .524 respectively.

Elizabethtown's offense leads the conference in field goal percentage (.446) and three point percentage (.357), and rank third in offensive efficiency averaging 73.9 ppg. Defensively, the Blue Jays rank fourth in defensive efficiency (57.1 ppg allowed), sixth in opponent field goal percentage (.373), and ninth in opponent three-point percentage (.316).