WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - The Wilkes University men's basketball team closed out the regular season with an 89-65 win over the Goucher College Gophers Saturday afternoon on Senior Day.
The Colonels finish the regular season with a 16-9 record (11-7 Landmark), while the Gophers finish with a final record of 5-20 (2-16 Landmark).
Wilkes started the game red-hot, jumping out to 7-0 lead at the 17:27 mark and forcing Goucher to call a timeout.
They expanded the lead to double digits (21-8) after a fast break dunk from Lucas Lesko (Northampton, PA/Northampton), forcing Goucher timeout. Up to this point, Lesko and Jack Argento (Hershey, PA/Hershey) had scored 18 of Wilkes' 21 points.
The Colonels held that edge for the remainder of the first half, eventually taking a 45-26 lead into halftime thanks to the stellar play of their three seniors.
The team picked up right where they left off to start the second half. An 8-2 run from Eli Becker (Palmyra, PA/Palmyra) and Colin Ackerman (Manasquan, NJ/Wall Township) put Wilkes up by 25 (53-28) after just three minutes, and Goucher never got closer than 17 points for the remainder of the game.
The seniors continued to shine in the second half, and their play allowed for every player on the roster to see action towards the end of the game.
Ackerman, Lesko, and Argento all combined to score 55 points. Argento finished with 19 points and five rebounds on 8 -14 shooting. Lesko finished with 18 points, four rebounds, four assists, and three blocks, while Ackerman ended the game with 18 points, six rebounds, and six assists.
For the game, the Colonels shot 47.1% from the field, 35% from downtown, and shot 16-21 from the free throw line. They also committed just five turnovers, and forced 18 turnovers by the Gophers.
With the regular season in the books, Wilkes now has their eyes set on the Landmark Conference Tournament. They earned the fourth seed in the tournament, and will welcome the fifth seed Elizabethtown College Blue Jays to the Marts Center on Tuesday, Feb. 24. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
