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Cayden Merrifield set a new season high with 24 points and Lucas Lesko added 20 as the Wilkes men’s basketball team routed Elizabethtown 82-63 on Saturday afternoon at the Marts Center.
Merrifield finished just one point shy of tying his career high, and knocked down four of the Colonels’ 11 three-pointers.
Wilkes finished with four scorers in double figures. Following up Merrifield and Lesko were Trent Fisher, who scored 14 points and grabbed seven boards, and Zachary Gula, who finished with 10 points.
The Colonels improved to 11-2 on the season, and 4-2 in Landmark Conference play. They’ll be back in action on Tuesday night at the Marts Center, taking on Drew.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Elizabethtown 66, Wilkes 54
A 14-2 run in the third quarter built up a double-digit lead that Elizabethtown rode to a victory over Wilkes.
The Colonels, trailing for much of the first half, managed to cut the Blue Jays’ lead to just a single point early in the third quarter before Elizabethtown went on their run.
Erin Shober led the Colonels with 14 points, and Yamirelis Matos added 11 points.
Wilkes dropped to 5-8 overall and 1-5 in the Landmark Conference with the loss. They’ll next take on Drew on the road Wednesday night.
WOMEN’S HOCKEY
Stevenson 4, King’s 2
Three goals in the third period broke the game wide open for Stevenson as they defeated the Monarchs.
Deadlocked at one goal apiece heading into the final period, King’s briefly took the lead off of a goal from Abby Barlocker just 36 seconds into the period.
Stevenson would rally with three straight goals to pull away from the Monarchs.
Lucy Beal had the other goal, a second-period unassisted score, for King’s. The Monarchs drop to 2-10-1 on the year with the loss, their second in a row to Stevenson.
King’s will hit the ice next on Friday for the first in a two-game series with Manhattanville.
No. 13 Nazareth 6, Wilkes 0
The Colonels couldn’t contain Nazareth’s offense, falling to the Golden Flyers to seal the weekend sweep for Nazareth.
Meredith Boettcher had a hat trick to lead Nazareth, who outshot Wilkes 43-17 on the afternoon.
Addy Olson made 37 saves for Wilkes. The Colonels (6-6-1, 4-6-1 UCHC) will head to Chatham University on Friday for the start of a two-game weekend set.
SEMI-PRO BASKETBALL
Clutch set to play Sunday
The first game of the Wyoming Valley Clutch’s two-game weekend homestand was wiped out by the weather, but the semi-pro club will still be in action on Sunday evening.
The Clutch’s tilt with the New Jersey Soldiers, initially set for Saturday night at the Wilkes-Barre CYC, will now be played on Jan. 28 at the CYC, according to the team’s Facebook page.
As of Saturday evening, the Clutch were still scheduled to play Sunday, set for a 6 p.m. tip-off against the visiting 518 Ballers.
The Clutch are 6-1 on the season and, in the latest poll released by the American Basketball Association on New Year’s Eve, are ranked 18th in the nation.