TOWSON, Md. – The Wilkes men's basketball team held Goucher College to only 28 points in the second half, allowing them to close the 2024-25 regular season with an 85-68 victory at the Decker Sports & Recreation Center on Saturday afternoon.

Wilkes finishes the regular season 19-6 overall with a 13-5 record in Landmark Conference play, clinching the third seed in the Landmark playoffs. Goucher end the year 4-21 overall and 3-15 in Landmark play.

Goucher scored the first bucket of the day, holding the lead for the first four minutes of action. Two free throws from Eli Becker (Palmyra, PA/Palmyra) gave the Colonels a 6-5 lead that they wouldn't relinquish, growing out to a nine-point advantage 39-27 with three minutes remaining in the first half. Lucas Lesko (Northampton, PA/Northampton) led the Colonels with seven points over that span.

The Gophers wouldn't go quietly, closing the gap with a 13-1 run to tie the game with just 36 seconds remaining in the half. A layup by Jack Argento (Hershey, PA/Hershey) with five seconds left gave Wilkes a narrow 42-40 advantage going into the break.

Coming out of the half, the teams continued to trade buckets, with the Colonels holding a 47-44 advantage with 17:10 to play. From there, the Wilkes offense took off on a 16-8 run to extend the lead to double-digits and cruised from there to victory. The Colonel defense locked down the hosts, holding them to only 11 field goals and 40% shooting in the second half.

Lesko led the Colonels with a 21-point, 12-rebound double-double, both team-highs. Argento (15), Cayden Merrifield (Scranton, PA/West Scranton) (11), and Eli Becker (Palmyra, PA/Palmyra) (10) all reached double-figure scoring, while the former three shared a team-high two assists each. Defensively, Joey Zvorsky (New Cumberland, PA/Cedar Cliff) snatched four steals, followed by Daniel Santaniello (Roaring Brook Twp., PA/Scranton Prep) with three.

The Colonels now turn their attention to the Landmark Conference playoffs, where they will host the No. 6 seed University of Scranton on Tuesday, February 25 at the Marts Center with a 7:00 p.m. tip-off.