The Wilkes University Colonels men’s basketball team faced off against the no. 2 seed in Catholic last night in a Landmark Conference semifinal matchup.
Early on, Catholic were in cruise control shooting well in the early minutes of the first half. After taking a 5-0 lead about three minutes in, the Cardinals would keep the lead for the entirety of the contest.
Lucas Lesko got the Colonels on the board to make it a 5-2 game after sinking both free throws, but the team had trouble finding points. At the 10 minute mark in the first half, Catholic went on a hefty run, going 13-3. At half, the Colonels found themselves down by 10.
In the second half the Cardinals started the way the first half did, going out to a 24 point lead with ten minutes left in the game.
When all was said and done, the Colonels were defeated by a score of 76-96. Leading the team in points was Cayden Merrifield with 22. Lesko had 12 points going perfect from the free throw line, sinking all six of his shots.
Daniel Santaniello and Eli Becker both had 14 points each. Santaniello also went perfect from the line, sinking his three shots. As a team, the Colonels shot just 35.9% from the field. For three pointers, the team shot 35.5%.
The Cardinals made 18 of 19 free throws in the first half, which propelled their offense early on. In total, Catholic shot over 50 percent from the field.
Sean Neylon, who came into the game top three in point percentage from beyond the arc in D3 basketball went 2-7 in three pointers. Neylon finished with 14 points. Brian Herbert went perfect from the three throw line, scoring 26 points in total on the night.
The Colonels finish the season 20-7 in the eleventh season under head coach Izzi Metz. It was the first time under his tenure that the Colonels were able to clinch a 20 win season.
The Cardinals move on to the Landmark Conference final where they will play Drew University away from home. The Rangers defeated Susquehanna 97-81 to make it to the final as the first seed in the conference. Tip-off is scheduled for tomorrow, March 1 at 4 p.m. in Madison, N.J.
For more information regarding Wilkes basketball and all Colonel teams, stay tuned to The Beacon.