The Colonels trailed only once in the contest, that coming on a field goal by the Gothic Knights Shaun Patterson to open the game. The Colonels would score the next six points, two each by Evan Walters, John Yanniello and Tyler Jenkins, to assume the lead for good 6-2.
NJCU would stay close throughout much of the first stanza. However, a 13-2 run by Wilkes late in the half would open the gap. Leading 21-17, Rashawn Pressley started the spurt with a field goal to extend the lead to six with 6:20 left. Walters and James Kaiser traded buckets to make it 25-19 at the five minute mark. Brian Kemp sandwiched a field goal and two free throws around a Pressley three-pointer to push the gap to 32-19 with 4:00 left. A basket by Jenkins ended the run and gave the Colonels a 34-19 lead. Wilkes would maintain a double-figure advantage and march into halftime with a 39-26 lead.
The Colonels never let the Gothic Knights get back within single digits in the game’s final 20 minutes. A pair of Mike Constantine free throws with 5:41 left provided Wilkes with their biggest lead, 69-48. New Jersey City would whittle the lead down to 10 points, 74-64, on a pair of free throws by Abraham Williams with 1:21 left. But, Wilkes would convert all eight of their free throw attempts, including six straight by John Sclafani, down the stretch to maintain their advantage.
Yanniello led the Wilkes attack with 15 points. Matt Gould added 13 points for the Colonels, who placed 12 players in the scoring column. Walters contributed eight points, 10 rebounds and six steals, while Sclafani had seven points, eight boards and four assists.
Ben Balcom was the top scorer for the Gothic Knights with 21 points. Williams chipped in with 18 points and 13 rebounds, while Javier Rodriguez finished with 11 tallies.