SELINSGROVE, Pa. – The Wilkes men's basketball team extended their winning streak to four games on Saturday afternoon, defeating Susquehanna University 87-81 at the O.W. Houts Gymnasium to clinch a spot in the Landmark Conference playoffs.

With the victory, the Colonels improve to 16-5 (10-4 Landmark) while the River Hawks fall to 12-9 (9-5 Landmark).

Wilkes took an early six-point lead with five minutes played, up 16-10 on the River Hawks, raining four three-pointers on the hosts. Susquehanna soon tied the game at 18 with a three-pointer from Mike Perone and built a six-point cushion of their own from there with a 23-11 run to take a 33-27 lead.

Momentum swung back the Colonels' way with a 15-4 run to give the Colonels a 42-37 lead with two minutes to play in the first half. Lucas Lesko (Northampton, PA/Northampton) contributed seven to the run, while Mason Fedor (Clarks Summit, PA/Abington Heights) put up five points. The River Hawk defense put the brakes on that run over the final two minutes shutting the Colonels out, while the offense closed out the half with seven points to take a 44-42 lead into the break.

The back-and-forth affair continued in the second half, but Susquehanna broke out to an eight-point lead with 11 minutes to play, 66-58. Over the next seven minutes, the Colonels slowly chipped away at the hosts' advantage, capitalizing on a defensive block by Lesko and fastbreak layup by Eli Becker (Palmyra, PA/Palmyra) to take a 70-69 lead with 4:31 remaining. Becker remained the hot hand, scoring seven more points as the Colonels stretched the lead once more to 80-73 with one minute to play.

The River Hawks didn't go without a fight, scoring the next six points in a row to close the lead to just one point with 28 seconds on the clock. But Cayden Merrifield (Scranton, PA/West Scranton) went 6-6 from the free throw line in the final seconds and picked up a crucial steal to help the Colonels seal the road victory.

Lesko led the Colonels with 26 points shooting 10-14 from the field, joined by Merrifield (20) and Becker (13) in the double-digit scoring department. The latter duo each posted double-doubles, as Merrifield led the team in assists with 11 (season-high) while Becker snagged a team-high 11 boards (matches season-high).

The Colonels return home for a massive mid-week matchup against Landmark Conference leaders Drew University at the Marts Center on Wednesday, February 12. Tip off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.