WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - The Wilkes University men's and women's basketball teams resume Landmark Conference play later today against the Juniata College Eagles at the Marts Center.

The men's game begins at 4 p.m. followed by the women's game at 6 p.m.

Men's: Live Stats | Live Video

Women's: Live Stats | Live Video

Men's Preview

The Colonels enter their matchup with the Eagles with a 6-5 overall record and 1-3 record in Landmark play. They've lost their last three conference games after defeating Lycoming 74-67 on Nov. 19, with their most recent conference loss coming against No. 18 Catholic on the road 91-79 on Dec. 6.

Nearing the halfway point of the season, Daniel Santaniello (Roaring Brook Twp., PA/Scranton Prep) leads the Colonels in scoring with 16.2 points per game, along with 4.1 rebounds per game on 44.3% field goal shooting and 86.9% shooting from the free throw line. 

He leads a talented starting five that all average double-digit points per game on the seventh ranked scoring offense in the conference with 76.2 points per game. Lucas Lesko (Northampton, PA/Northampton) is second on the team with 14.6 points per game, and leads the team in rebounding with 8.1 per game. 

Eli Becker (Palmyra, PA/Palmyra) ranks third with 13.6 points per game, while leading the team in field goal percentage (56.4%), three-point percentage (47.8%), and free throw percentage (89.3%), and finishing off the starting five are Jack Argento (Hershey, PA/Hershey) with 12.7 points per game, and Colin Ackerman (Manasquan, NJ/Wall Township) with 11.5 points per game.

As a team, Wilkes ranks sixth in the Landmark in field goal percentage (44.9%), eighth in opponent field goal percentage (43.3%), second in total rebounding (39.5 per game), and eighth in turnover margin (-0.82).

The Eagles enter this game with a 3-8 overall record and 0-4 record in Landmark play. Their last conference game was a 79-61 loss to Scranton on Dec. 6.

This Juniata team is led by the backcourt duo of Ty Kocak and Joe Bruce. The junior Kocak leads the team in scoring with 14.2 points per game, along with 5.5 rebounds per game, and 1.5 steals per game on 43.1% shooting. Meanwhile, Bruce averages 13.1 pointers per game on 50% field goal shooting, and 38.9% shooting from beyond the arc in 25.9 minutes per game.

Around those two is a solid supporting cast of players like Malcolm Griffith, Ayden Hurley, and Jayden Bilger. All this leads to the Eagles being ranked sixth in the Landmark in scoring offense and scoring defense, eighth in field goal percentage, fifth in three-point percentage, seventh in total rebounding, and second in turnover margin.

Women's Preview

The Colonels enter this game with a 3-8 overall record and 0-4 record in Landmark Conference play. The team's last conference game was on Dec. 6 on the road against Catholic, a game they lost 83-44.

Senior guard Yamirelis Matos (Springfield, MA/Chicopee) remains the centerpiece for Wilkes, and comes into this game fresh off eclipsing 1,000 career points with a 14-point performance against Eastern last Saturday.  She leads the team in scoring, rebounding, assists, and steals this season with 14.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 2.2 steals per game on 33.5% shooting. Currently, she ranks third in Landmark in points per game.

Sophomore forward Maliyah Warren (Phoenixville, PA/Phoenixville) has been productive as the team's second option, being just behind Matos in both points and rebounds with 12.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game on 38.2% shooting. She ranks seventh in the Landmark in scoring.

As a team, the Colonels rank eighth in the conference in scoring offense (54.8 points per game), seventh in scoring defense (63.0 points per game allowed), ninth in field goal percentage (30.8%), third in team rebounding (42.5 per game), and second in blocked shots (45).

The Eagles enter this game with a 2-9 overall record and 0-4 record in Landmark Conference play, their most recent conference game being a loss to No. 2 Scranton 92-40 on Dec. 6. However, they won their most recent game against Grove City 70-48 last Saturday.

Juniata's only double-digit scorer is senior forward Bri Bodtorf, who averages 12.3 points per game, 8.4 rebounds per game, 3.3 assists per game, and 1.4 steals per game on 34.0% shooting. Their most efficient scorer is junior center Laney Gerdich with 8.0 pointers per game on 44.9% shooting.

The Eagles rank 10th in the conference in scoring offense, ninth in scoring defense, eighth in field goal percentage, seventh in three-point percentage, fourth in total rebounding, and 10th in turnover margin.