WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - The Wilkes University men's and women's basketball teams take on the Drew University Rangers for the second time this season Wednesday night at 7 p.m.

The men's game is at the Marts Center, while the women's game is on the road.

Men's: Live Stats | Live Video

Women's: Live Stats | Live Video

Men's Preview

The Colonels enter the game with a 13-8 record (8-6 Landmark) after a 91-79 win over Juniata on Saturday. Wilkes fell behind 22-11 at the 12:44 mark of the first half, but they outscored the Eagles 35-14 to close out the half and lead 46-36. From there, Wilkes' lead never got lower than eight points for the entire second half.

The team's entire starting lineup scored 11 points or higher, with Lucas Lesko (Northampton, PA/Northampton) leading the way with 24 points, six rebounds, and six assists on 8-15 from the field and 7-10 from the free throw line. Colin Ackerman (Manasquan, NJ/Wall Township) also continued his excellent play with 21 points on 8-14 shooting, and Jack Argento (Hershey, PA/Hershey) had a perfect day shooting the ball, scoring 17 points on 5-5 from the field and 6-6 from the charity stripe.

For the game, Wilkes shot 62.5% (30-48) from the field, 58.3% (7-12) from downtown, and 70.6% (24-34) from the free throw line against Juniata's third-ranked scoring defense in the Landmark.

Ackerman and Lesko have been the driving forces on offense for the past two games, with Ackerman having the best two-game stretch of his career. 

The senior guard has averaged 24.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game on 56.7% from the field and 57.1% from downtown, while Lesko is right there with him with averages of 23.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game on 50% field goal shooting and 70% from the free throw line.

This run has helped Lesko rise to fourth in the conference in points per game (17.9) and fourth in rebounds per game (7.4). The team will need to keep up this pace offensively against a Drew team that ranks first in the Landmark in points per game and third in three-point percentage.

The Rangers enter this game with a 16-5 record (10-4 Landmark) after a 99-69 win over Goucher on Saturday. Drew only led by five points at halftime (44-39), but dominated the second half 55-30 to run away with the game.

Charlie Thornton was one of five different players scored in double figures for the Rangers, scoring 20 points on 7-15 shooting. Alongside him, Eli Yusavage filled up the stat sheet with 12 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and two steals.

Yusavage is this team's leading scorer with an average of 16.8 points per game on 46.9% from the field and 38.8% from three. Andre De Los Reyes is the team's second-leading scorer at 15.4 points per game, and David Musial is a double-double threat every game as the Landmark's leader in rebounds per game. The senior forward averages 8.4 rebounds per game to go along with 10.7 points per game.

Drew won the first matchup between these two teams on Jan. 14 in a 98-87 shootout. In that game, De Los Reyes scored a career-high 34 points on 12-22 from the field and 5-10 from three, and Yusavage dropped 20 points on efficient shooting splits. Meanwhile for Wilkes, their entire starting five combined for 85 points, including a career-high 25 points and nine rebounds from Eli Becker (Palmyra, PA/Palmyra) on 10-16 shooting.

Women's Preview

The Colonels enter this game with a 5-16 record (2-12 Landmark) after a wire-to-wire 73-61 win over Juniata on Saturday. Wilkes took the lead early and never relinquished it thanks to two huge outings from Maliyah Warren (Phoenixville, PA/Phoenixville) and Anya Richet (Plymouth, PA/Wyoming Valley West).

Warren finished with a career-high 26 points on 9-21 shooting to go along with seven rebounds and four assists, while Richet recorded her first career double-double of 12 points and 14 rebounds.

The team also got a huge boost with 22 bench points, compared to just nine for the Eagles.

That huge game helped Warren surpass Yamirelis Matos (Springfield, MA/Chicopee) as the team's leading scorer. Warren's 11.8 points per game rank her seventh in the conference, while Matos now ranks eighth at 11.5 points per game.

Richet continues to climb the Landmark's rebounding chart, now ranking 11th in rebounds per game (6.0).

With this momentum, the Colonels look to play spoiler against a Drew team that's fighting for a playoff spot.

The Rangers enter this game with a 12-9 record (7-7 Landmark) after an upset loss to Goucher on Saturday 56-54. The Gophers led 29-21 at halftime and led by as much as 14 early in the third quarter, but Drew fought back. They went on a run to take a 51-48 lead with 4:18 remaining, but Goucher's defense held the Rangers without a field goal for the final four minutes to snatch the win.

Maddie Beyer and Miabella Diaz led the Rangers with 11 points each, but no other player scored in double digits. Gianna Pica is the team's leading scorer this season (8.2 points per game), and is looking to bounce back after a scoreless outing against Goucher. 

Drew's defense is one of the best in the Landmark, ranking third in points per game allowed, fourth in opponent field goal percentage, first in opponent three-point percentage, and third in turnover margin.

The Rangers won the first matchup against the Colonels 72-44 on Jan. 14, thanks to 14 points and five rebounds from Beyer, 10 points and four rebounds from Pica, and 12 points off the bench from Jocelyn Kingsley. As for Wilkes, Richet was the only player in double figures with 13 points and six rebounds.