WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - The Wilkes University men's and women's basketball teams look to get back in the win column this Saturday as they welcome the Catholic University Cardinals to the Marts Center this Saturday.

The men's game begins at 2 p.m. and the women's game will follow shortly after at 4 p.m.

Men's: Live Stats | Live Video

Women's: Live Stats | Live Video

Men's Preview

The Colonels enter this matchup with an 11-7 record and 6-5 Landmark Conference record after a 72-55 loss to Lycoming on Wednesday. Wilkes trailed by only six points at halftime (30-24), but the Warriors blew the game open in the second half by outscoring the Colonels 42-31.

In the loss, Jack Argento (Hershey, PA/Hershey) led the team with 15 points, seven rebounds, and five assists on 5-9 shooting. Eli Becker (Palmyra, PA/Palmyra) notched another double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, while Lucas Lesko (Northampton, PA/Northampton) also scored 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds. However, neither shot the ball well as Becker went 3-10 from the field, while Lesko shot 5-16.

The team as a whole shot just 30% (18-60) from the field and 12.5% from downtown (3-24) all game, compared to Lycoming's 45.8% (27-59) from the field and 45% (9-20) from three.

The whole starting five continues to average over 10 points per game with Lesko leading the team in scoring and rebounding with 17.3 points per game and 7.6 rebounds per game. Becker and Daniel Santaniello (Roaring Brook Twp., PA/Scranton Prep) both average 14.3 points per game, with Becker ranking third in the Landmark in field goal percentage at 55.2%.

Wilkes will need more efficient shooting from their core guys this weekend as they face a Cardinals team that boasts a 5-1 road record. However, the Colonels are 8-1 at home this season and 5-0 against conference opponents.

The Cardinals enter this game with a 14-4 record and 10-1 record in conference play after a dominant 95-51 win over Goucher on Wednesday. Catholic never trailed at any point in the game and raced out to a 31-point halftime lead (53-22). They kept the momentum going in the second half by dropping another 42 points, while holding Goucher to just 29.

Brian Herbert led the way for the Cardinals with 20 points, three rebounds, seven assists, and three steals on 6-12 shooting from the field and a perfect 7-7 from the free throw line. Charley Hepting chipped in with 12 points on 5-9 shooting, and Michael Dankert scored 11 points and grabbed eight rebounds while hitting all four of his shots.

These three players, along with senior guard CJ Ruoff, rank at the top of the Landmark in major statistical categories. Herbert and Ruoff rank third and fourth in the conference in scoring average. Ruoff averages 20.1 points per game, while Herbert averages 18.1 points per game. Dankert is tied for the conference lead in rebounds per game at 8.3, Hepting leads the Landmark in field goal percentage at 64.7%, and Ruoff is second in assists at 4.7 per game.

As a team, the Cardinals are third in the conference in scoring offense, second in scoring defense, second in team field goal percentage, first in opponent field goal percentage, second in team three-point percentage, and third in team rebounding.

Women's Preview

The Colonels enter this game with a 4-14 record and 1-10 Landmark Conference record after a 65-58 loss to Lycoming on Wednesday night. It was a close game for most of the way with the Colonels leading 29-25 at halftime, but Lycoming won the third quarter 21-13 to take a four-point lead into the fourth and edged out Wilkes in the final frame to win it.

Delaney Bogdon led the team in scoring with nine points on 2-5 shooting, followed by Yamirelis Matos (Springfield, MA/Chicopee) and Charlotte Taylor (Somerville, NJ/Somerville) who each scored eight points. Matos and Taylor also tied for the team lead in rebounds with five, while Matos added five assists as well.

The team did get 28 points from the bench in the loss, and will look for similar production going forward to support Matos and Maliyah Warren (Phoenixville, PA/Phoenixville). Matos now ranks seventh in the Landmark in points per game at 12.3, and Warren ranks 10th with 11.2 points per game. Matos also leads the team with 5.9 rebounds per game, while Warren leads the team in blocks with 20.

Meanwhile, the Cardinals enter this game with a 13-5 record and 10-1 record in Landmark Conference play after a 94-42 win over Goucher. In that game, Catholic jumped out to a 24-11 lead after the first quarter, and never looked back to win by 52.

Five players scored in double figures with Lauren Kraft leading the charge with 21 points on 7-11 shooting, including 5-8 from beyond the arc. Olivia Boccella stepped up off the bench with 12 points, Amelia Kennedy scored 11 points and grabbed six rebounds in just 15 minutes, and both Anna Scoblick and Carly Catania scored 10 points.

Scoblick leads this Catholic team in points and assists with averages of 11.5 points and 4.1 assists on 48.9% shooting. Catania averages 10.9 points per game and leads the team in three-point percentage at 37%. Lastly, Kraft averages 10.5 points per game, while leading the team in rebounds per game (5.9) and steals (29).

As a team, the Cardinals rank third in the conference in scoring offense, fourth in scoring defense, fourth in team field goal percentage and opponent field goal percentage, and second in rebounding.