WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - The Wilkes University men's and women's basketball team hit the road this Saturday for a pivotal contest against the Juniata College Eagles.

The men's game starts at 2 p.m. and the women's game is at 4 p.m.

Men's: Live Stats | Live Video

Women's: Live Stats | Live Video

Men's Preview

The Colonels enter this game with a 12-8 record (7-6 Landmark) after a close loss to Susquehanna on Wednesday 90-86. The team is currently in a three-way tie for the fourth seed in the conference alongside Elizabethtown and Moravian.

Wilkes trailed for most of the game, losing 49-40 at halftime, but they rallied at various points in the second half to make it a game. They trailed by 13 points early in the second half and by 12 with under eight minutes left, but the starting five led a furious comeback to tie the game at 83-83 with 1:45 remaining. However, the River Hawks closed out well down the stretch to make sure the Colonels never took the lead.

Despite the loss, Colin Ackerman (Manasquan, NJ/Wall Township) had a career-high 27 points on 9-16 shooting, including 8-10 from the free throw line. He also racked up four rebounds, four assists, two steals, and one block. Lesko went along for the ride with 23 points and six rebounds on 7-15 shooting, and both Jack Argento (Hershey, PA/Hershey) and Eli Becker (Palmyra, PA/Palmyra) scored 13 points on efficient shooting splits.

The biggest reasons for the loss was Susquehanna's three-point shooting and bench production. The River Hawks shot 61.9% (13-21) from beyond the arc and their bench outscored Wilkes' 27-8. 

KJ Carson scored 20 points on 7-10 and hit all five of his threes, while Mario Castro Sanchez, Brandon Lavitt, and Bill Anderson combined to score 42 points and hit four threes between them.

Wilkes offensive rankings in the Landmark are still in the top half of the conference, ranking fifth in scoring offense, third in field goal percentage, fourth in free throw percentage, and second in rebounding. However, they'll need to tighten up the defense against a Juniata team that has turned their season around in the past month.

The Eagles enter this game with an 8-12 record (5-8 Landmark) after a 71-56 loss to Catholic on Wednesday. They currently sit as the eighth seed in the conference, but are only two games behind the sixth seed.

The Eagles trailed for the entire first half against the Cardinals, but they stayed within striking distance, only trailing by five (36-31) going into the locker room. They even made it a 57-55 game with 4:11 remaining, but Catholic closed out the game on a 14-1 run to secure the victory.

Ty Kocak led the way for Juniata with 22 points and three rebounds on 8-17 shooting, but no other player scored in double figures. Their second-leading scorer was Joe Bruce with nine points on 4-9 from the field.

Kocak ranks 10th in the Landmark Conference in scoring, averaging 16.5 points per game on 44.5% shooting. Bruce is the team's second-leading scorer this season with 11.1 points per game, and he ranks sixth in the conference in three-point percentage (36.8%). Lastly, sophomore forward Malcolm Griffith averages 8.9 points per game, and ranks 10th in the conference in field goal percentage (50.3%).

The Eagles are a well-rounded defensive team, as they rank third in the Landmark in scoring defense, fifth in opponent field goal percentage, third in opponent three-point percentage, and second in turnover margin.

The Colonels won the first matchup between the schools 67-43 on Jan. 7. Points were at a premium in that game as the Colonels only had four players in double digits, while the Eagles only had one.

Women's Preview

The Colonels enter this game with a 4-16 record (1-12 Landmark) after a 66-51 loss to Susquehanna on Wednesday. Wilkes fell behind by 20 points (27-7) after the first quarter and trailed 42-18 at halftime, but they closed the gap in the second half by outscoring the River Hawks 33-24.

Maliyah Warren (Phoenixville, PA/Phoenixville) led the team in scoring with 14 points and four rebounds on 5-16 shooting. Yamirelis Matos (Springfield, MA/Chicopee), Charlotte Taylor (Somerville, NJ/Somerville), and Anya Richet (Plymouth, PA/Wyoming Valley West) tied for second on the team in scoring with nine points each.

Matos and Warren remain two of the 10 best scorers in the Landmark, but Richet has quietly become a key contributor for the team over the past few weeks. The first-year forward has worked her way into the starting lineup and has averaged 8.0 pointers per game over the last three games. She's also second on the team in rebounds per game (5.6) and field goal percentage (37.1%).

The defense also played one of their best games since conference play began, holding the River Hawks to just 36.6% field goal shooting on Wednesday.

They look to bring this momentum into the Juniata matchup, hoping for at least a 1-1 split with the Eagles this season.

The Eagles enter this game with a 4-16 record (2-11 Landmark) after a close 73-67 loss to Catholic on Wednesday. Although they never led against the Cardinals, they never trailed by more than 11 points at any point in the game. Juniata also outscored Catholic in the second half 40-35.

Despite the loss, Bri Bodtorf filled up the stat sheet with 18 points, four rebounds, five assists, and two steals on 8-12 shooting. Laney Gerdich also had a good game, scoring 13 points on 6-7 shooting and grabbing six rebounds.

Bodtorf ranks as the third-best scorer and rebounder in the Landmark, averaging 14.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game on 38% shooting. She's also fifth in the conference in assists (62). Gerdich is the team's second option, averaging 8.6 points per game and 5.1 rebounds per game.

The Eagles as a team, ranks eighth in the Landmark in scoring offense, 10th in scoring defense, seventh in field goal percentage, and seventh in rebounding.