WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - The Wilkes University men's and women's basketball teams remain at home for their upcoming Landmark Conference games against the Moravian University Greyhounds on Saturday.

The men's game begins at noon and the women's game will follow shortly after at 2 p.m.

Men's: Live Stats | Live Video

Women's: Live Stats | Live Video

Men's Preview

The Colonels enter this game with a 10-6 overall record and 5-4 Landmark Conference record after their most impressive victory of the season thus far. On Wednesday, they defeated the No. 21 University of Scranton Royals 75-45 in a game that was never close.

Wilkes trailed for just 25 seconds all game, went up by double digits at the 12:18 mark of the first half, and never saw their lead go below 10 points for the rest of the game. The Colonels led 35-20 at halftime, and led by as much as 32 (62-30) with 8:13 left before reaching the final score.

Lucas Lesko (Northampton, PA/Northampton) played his best game of the season with 26 points, seven rebounds, and three assists on 10-18 shooting. Daniel Santaniello (Roaring Brook Twp., PA/Scranton Prep) also lit it up from downtown as he shot 3-5 from three, and finished with 18 points on 5-8 shooting overall. 

In addition to their stellar offensive game, the Colonels also shined even on the defensive end. The team dominated the rebounding battle 48-26, and held Scranton's big three of Sammy Tornabene, Jon Spatola, and Brendan Carr quiet all game. Tornabene was the only starter in double figures with 12 points and six rebounds on 4-10 shooting. Spatola scored just eight points on 3-7 shooting, and Carr went scoreless on 0-5 shooting.

Wilkes will need to maintain this momentum defensively against this Greyhounds team that is tied for first in the Landmark in points per game (89.1), and third in field goal percentage (46.2%) and three-point percentage (34.6%). They also boast three of the top 10 leading scorers in the conference.

The Greyhounds enter this game with an 11-5 record and 5-4 record in conference play after a close 95-93 home loss to Drew on Wednesday. It was a back-and-forth game with Moravian leading 47-45 at halftime, and neither side leading by more than seven points all night. Eventually, the Greyhounds trailed by two in the final seconds, but Chad Kratzer missed a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer.

Porter Kelly led Moravian in scoring with 25 points on 9-18 shooting, including 5-11 shooting from downtown. Kratzer finished with 18 points and four rebounds on 7-18 shooting, and the team also got a perfect shooting night from Liam Cummiskey, who finished with 15 points and five rebounds on 6-6 shooting.

However, the undisputed star of this team is senior forward Marquis Ratcliff. Ratcliff only scored 11 points on 4-9 shooting in the Drew game, but he also grabbed 13 rebounds, dished out seven assists, and blocked four shots. He ranks as the Landmark's leading scorer, rebounder, and shot blocker with averages of 23.3 points per game, 8.4 rebounds per game, and 2.3 blocks per game on elite efficiency (58.1% field goal percentage).

Kelly and Kratzer serve as ideal second and third options for Moravian with Kelly ranking sixth in the conference in points per game (18.1) and third in assists (4.5), while Kratzer ranks 10th in points per game (16.3) and fourth in three-point percentage (38.4%).

This trio helped the Greyhounds win their first matchup with the Colonels this season 93-91 on Nov. 22. Ratcliff finished that game with 31 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks on 10-16 shooting from the field and 9-10 shooting from the free throw line. Kratzer and Kelly also stepped up with 26 and 23 points respectively, as no other Greyhound scored more than six points.

Women's Preview

Wilkes enters this game with an overall 4-12 record and 1-8 Landmark Conference record after an 80-28 loss against the No. 2 University of Scranton Royals on Wednesday.

Yamirelis Matos (Springfield, MA/Chicopee) and Maliyah Warren (Phoenixville, PA/Phoenixville) remain the one-two punch for the Colonels as both players rank as top 10 scorers in the conference. Matos averages 13.0 points per game on 32.5% shooting, while Warren averages 11.2 points per game on 35.5% shooting. Both are tied for the team lead in rebounds per game as well with 5.9, and Wilkes will need that kind of production to snatch a win against a Greyhound team they played tough in their first matchup.

Moravian enters this game with a 6-10 overall record and 4-5 record in conference play after a 65-54 loss to Drew in their most recent game. The Greyhounds trailed 10-0 after less than three minutes of action, and weren't able to recover. They lost the first quarter 21-12, but managed to play an even game for the final three quarters.

Grace Steffen finished with a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds on 5-11 shooting, and Lizzie Lustig scored in double figures as well with 10 points and six rebounds on 5-16 shooting.

Lustig ranks as the Landmark's seventh leading scorer and fourth with an average of 12.7 points per game on 47.9% shooting. Juliana Vassallo ranks second on the team in scoring, averaging 8.9 points per game on 37.9% shooting.

As a team, Moravian ranks sixth in the conference in scoring offense, ninth in scoring defense, sixth in field goal percentage, seventh in three-point percentage, fourth in free throw percentage, and ninth in rebounding. 

They won the previous matchup with Wilkes 63-50 on Nov. 22, in a game that Wilkes controlled for three quarters. The Colonels led 36-26 at halftime and 46-37 going into the fourth, but the Greyhounds dominated the fourth quarter 26-4 to secure a double-digit win.

On the Wilkes side, Warren led the team with 19 points and five rebounds on 6-12 shooting, and Matos was right behind her with 17 points and nine rebounds on 6-18 shooting. However, the Greyhounds got a huge boost with 17 points from Megan Elias, and 14 points and eight rebounds off the bench from Ellie Wallbillich.