WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - The No. 4 Wilkes University men's basketball team begin their Landmark Conference Tournament run on Tuesday night as they welcome the No. 5 Elizabethtown College Blue Jays to the Marts Center. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start.

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Tickets

Adults: $11

Minors (10-17): $6

Children (Under 10): Free

Landmark students/faculty: Free with valid ID

It's the team's third-straight appearance in the conference tournament since joining the Landmark in 2023, and they secured their spot after a 16-9 regular season (11-7 Landmark) under head coach Izzi Metz.

The Colonels boast a starting five that all average over 12 points per game, and leading this group is senior forward Lucas Lesko (Northampton, PA/Northampton). Lesko put together another strong regular season in the navy and gold, averaging 18.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game on 44.3% shooting. He currently ranks fourth in the Landmark in scoring average, third in rebounding, and fourth in blocked shots.

Junior Eli Becker (Palmyra, PA/Palmyra) ranks second on the team in scoring (13.6 per game) and rebounding (6.6 per game) on very efficient shooting splits. He ranks third in the conference in field goal percentage (56.9%), and is Wilkes' best shooter from beyond the arc, hitting 44.4% of his threes this season.

The other two seniors on the roster, Colin Ackerman (Manasquan, NJ/Wall Township) and Jack Argento (Hershey, PA/Hershey), both average 13.4 points per game and have stepped up down the homestretch of the season. Argento ranks fifth in the Landmark in field goal percentage (54.8%) and 10th in rebounding (6.3 per game), while Ackerman ranks fourth in the conference in assists (4.4 per game) and eighth in three-point percentage (37.6%).

Overall, these individual numbers helped the Colonels finish fifth in the Landmark Conference in scoring offense, fourth in scoring defense, second in team field goal percentage, fourth in opponent field goal percentage, second in free throw percentage, and third in team rebounding.

Wilkes also swept the season series against Elizabethtown, winning the first matchup 87-69 on Jan. 10 and the rematch 81-74 on the road on Feb. 14. However, the Blue Jays hope that the third time will be the charm.

The Blue Jays earned their spot in the tournament after an 11-8 regular season (10-8 Landmark). It's also their first appearance in the playoffs under longtime head coach Britt Moore.

Much like Wilkes, Elizabethtown centers around a star senior in guard Austin Finarelli. Finarelli put together a strong individual season with averages of 21.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.1 steals per game on 47.4% from the field. He ranks second in the Landmark Conference in scoring average and first in steals.

The second and third options on this team are guards Woody Machado and Zuri Harris. Machado leads the Blue Jays in rebounds per game (6.8) and is the second-leading scorer on the team, averaging 13.3 points per game on 45.4% shooting. Harris primarily comes off the bench, but he averages 10.2 points per game in just 22.0 minutes per game on average.

Other quality players on the team include EJ Finney, Anthony Lilly, and Reese Ziegler. Finney averages 9.4 points per game, while being the team's leader in three-point percentage (41.7%) and assists per game (4.6). Meanwhile, Lilly averages 6.8 points per game and Ziegler averages 6.3 points per game in the starting lineup.

As a team, the Blue Jays rank fourth in the conference in scoring offense, fifth in scoring defense, fifth in field goal percentage, fourth in opponent three-point percentage, seventh in team rebounding, and first in assist/turnover ratio.

The winner of this game will advance to the semifinals to take on the top-seeded Catholic University Cardinals on Thursday, Feb. 26 at 7 p.m.