WILKES-BARRE – The Wilkes University men's basketball team saw their second half comeback come up just short at the Marts Center on Saturday afternoon, falling to Susquehanna University 67-64.

The Colonels fall to 11-4 overall with a 5-2 record in Landmark play, while the River Hawks improve to 8-7 overall and 5-3 in conference play.

Wilkes opened the game hot on a 9-2 run, punctuated by a triple by Eli Becker (Palmyra, PA/Palmyra). Susquehanna quickly responded with a 9-2 run of their own to tie the game at 11. Becker, Colin Ackerman (Manasquan, NJ/Wall Township) and Daniel Santaniello (Roaring Brook Twp., PA/Scranton Prep) all hit from beyond the arc over the next few Colonel possessions, but the River Hawks matched them down the stretch and the teams were deadlocked again at 22 with 10 minutes to play in the first half.

Wilkes took control again with a 13-6 run to take a 35-28 lead with 2:27 remaining in the half, led by seven points from Santaniello. Once again, Susquehanna fought right back to tie the game with seven unanswered points and took the lead on a made free throw. Becker gave the Colonels the halftime advantage after making a layup in the final second to make it a 37-36 game going into the break.

A 5-2 River Hawk start to the second half tied the game for a third time at 39, but this time the visitors took control with a 13-4 run to go up 52-43 with 8:42 remaining. As the Colonels struggled to make shots, Susquehanna pushed their lead to as large as a 12-point cushion with just under five minutes to play, up 63-51.

The Marts Center came alive as the Colonels went on an 11-2 run with six points from Santaniello and the first three-pointer of the day from Lucas Lesko (Northampton, PA/Northampton), putting the Colonels down by just three points with one minute on the clock, 65-62. Unfortunately, Wilkes was unable to complete the comeback, falling 67-64.

Santaniello led the Colonels with another career-record scoring game, putting up 19 points off the bench. Eli Becker (Palmyra, PA/Palmyra) was the other Colonel in double figures, scoring 14 and grabbing a team-high nine rebounds. Lesko and Jack Argento (Hershey, PA/Hershey) shared the team-high in assists with three.

Mike Pirone led Susquehanna with 16 points and three assists. Cooper Haberern had a team-high nine rebounds.

Wilkes finish their two-game homestand on Wednesday, January 22 as they welcome Moravian to the Marts Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.