THE FACTS
Wilkes (2-0) 64, Gettysburg (0-1) 48
What: Non-conference men's basketball game
When: Friday, Nov. 11
Where: Gettysburg, Pa.
THE SKINNY STORY
Wilkes held Gettysburg to only five field goals in the second half to surpass the Bullets, 64-48 in the first game of the Gettysburg Tip Off Tournament
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THE LEADERS
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Jordan Stafford (Galloway, N.J./Saint Joseph Hammonton) put up eleven points and eight rebounds, as well as three steals to lead the Bullets.
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Carl Schaller (Garnet Valley, Pa./Garnet Valley) scored nine points to go with four rebounds and two assists.
FOR THE FOES
• Drake Marshall led the Colonels with 21 points, six rebounds, and two steals.
• Cayden Merrifield was second with nine points, four rebounds, and two assists.
THE REST OF THE STORY
• Wilkes got out to a 10-4 lead in the first 3:41 behind baskets from five different scorers. A Stafford three-pointer cut the deficit to three under a minute later, but Merrifield cut a fast break to bring Wilkes' lead back up to five. Gettysburg was able to bring it back to three again off a basket by
Elijah Williams (Washington, D.C./Sidwell Friends), but David Marshall put up three baskets for the Colonels to again put Wilkes ahead by six, 19-13.
Nate Williams hit a triple at 8:15 and
Akim Joseph (Port-au-Prince, Haiti/Notre Dame Fairfield [Conn.]) followed with his own a minute later to bring the game to its first tie, 19-all, and
Nate Williams knocked down one at the foul line to give the Bullets their first lead, 20-19. A basket for the Bullets and two for the Colonels put them back in the lead again, 23-21, before
Rassoul Abakar (Cameroon/Notre Dame Fairfield [Conn.]) hit two free throws to tie the game again, 23-all, with 11:36 remaining in the first half.
• No points were scored for the next four minutes, until Stafford was fouled twice with just over four minutes remaining. He hit one of two before going to the line again and hitting another, to give the Bullets a 25-23 lead. The Bullets held the Colonels to just three made free throws and one basket in the last four minutes of the first half, and Schaller scored two more baskets and hit one free throw to end the first half, 31-28 in favor of the Bullets.
• In the second half, the Bullets scored first with a jumper by Abakar, before the Colonels rattled off the next three baskets and Schaller made a free throw to once again tie the score, 34-all. From there, Wilkes took the lead, as Lucas Lesko hit a free throw and two baskets to put them up 38-34. Another Colonels basket made it 40-34, before two Bullets baskets brought the game within two at 7:15. Merrifield hit a three to bring the Wilkes lead to five, and a Bullets free throw and two Colonels baskets brought Wilkes' lead to 10.
Colin Farrell (Matawan, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy) grabbed a steal and converted it at the other end for a layup that was the Bullets' first basket of the second half, coming after 13 minutes of play in the half. Trent Fisher was fouled for the Colonels shortly after. He hit both of his free throws, and added a two-pointer to bring the Wilkes lead to 12.
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Elijah Williams contributed Gettysburg's second field goal of the half with just over two minutes remaining, as the score read 55-45 in favor of Wilkes. Marshall put up a triple off a fast break to put Wilkes up to their biggest lead of the game, at 13 points. Two free throws for the Colonels made it a 15-point lead with a minute and a half left in the game, 60-45. Stafford and Williams added a combined three more points on free throws to give the Bullets their last points of the game, and Jack Argento put up three more free throws for Wilkes to ensure their victory, 63-48.
THE INSIDE STORY
• Wilkes went 24 for 50 in the two-point range, while Gettysburg went 15 for 61.
• Gettysburg hit 4 of 23 three-point attempts, while Wilkes went two for eight.
NEXT UP
Gettysburg will play Wilson tomorrow in the consolation game of the Gettysburg Tip-Off Tournament. Game time is 2 p.m.
