The Colonels, who saw their five-game winning streak snapped, fall to 11-5 overall and 7-1 in conference play. Wilkes still managed to maintain their one-game lead in the conference thanks to Drew University’s win over the University of Scranton on Saturday. DeSales sees their records improve to 12-5 overall and 4-4 in the conference.
DeSales raced out to a 15-4 lead just five minutes into the game. Drew Christman and Sedale Walton had six points each during the opening run. However, Wilkes would respond by putting together a 12-2 run of their own to cut the lead to 17-16 at the 12:48 mark on a basket inside by Evan Walters. Chris Shovlin keyed the Wilkes rally by scoring eight points during the span.
The lead would exchange hands four times before the Bulldogs went on a 13-3 run to take a 38-29 lead with 4:46 left in the half. Once again, Wilkes would respond and cut the deficit to just three points, 48-45, at halftime on a Michael Constantine three-pointer with four seconds left in the stanza.
The second half was nip and tuck, with five lead changes and four ties. A basket by Shovlin with 3:05 left tied the game for the final time, 71-71. But, DeSales would rattle off eight consecutive points to pull away for the victory.
Phil Stricker scored inside to start the decisive spurt and give the Bulldogs a 73-71 lead with 2:36 left. After Wilkes was unable to convert on their next possession, Drew Christman hit two free throws and then came up with an offensive rebound and basket to push the lead to 77-71 with 1:02 left. Walton would add to the lead with 36 ticks remaining when he cashed in two free throws to push the DeSales advantage to 79-71. Wilkes cut the lead to five, 79-74, on a Constantine three-pointer with 31 seconds left, but the Bulldogs hit six straight free throws down the stretch to keep the Colonels at bay.
DeSales held a 32-26 edge in rebounding in the game, while also gaining a big advantage on the free throw line. The Bulldogs hit 29-of-33 charity tosses, while Wilkes was just 13-of-18 from the line. The Colonels did manage to hit 26 field goals, compared to only 23 by DeSales.
Walton had 20 points and four assists to pace the DeSales attack. Chrisman added 17 points. Eddie Ohlson finished with 13 points and four assists and Jamie McCloskey had 10 points.
Shovlin had a game-high 30 points, while also contributing five assists and four steals for Wilkes. Constantine ended the afternoon with 18 points and three assists.