Blue Jays Use Balance to Defeat Colonels, 76-69

From the E-town College Website:

Box score

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Four players scored in double figures to help Elizabethtown College defeat Wilkes University 76-69 in a non-conference men's basketball game at Thompson Gymnasium Wednesday night.

Mike Church led the way for the Blue Jays (6-3 overall) with 16 points and seven rebounds, while Bryan Harrity contributed a career-high 14 points off the bench as Elizabethtown led by as many as 17 points before the Colonels (4-3 overall) mounted a late rally. The win was the 299th career victory for Elizabethtown head coach Bob Schlosser, who was coaching in his 500th game in 20 seasons on the Blue Jay sidelines.

Tom Kresge led Wilkes with a game-high 25 points along with six rebounds, while Anthony Gabriel grabbed a game-best eight rebounds and chipped in with 13 points, four assists and three blocked shots, but the Colonels could not overcome 38.1 percent shooting (24-for-63) in falling to the Blue Jays for the second time this season. Elizabethtown defeated Wilkes 66-57 at Susquehanna University's tournament on Nov. 20.

Also reaching double figures for Elizabethtown were Joe Flanagan, with 14 points, and Keith Fogel, who netted 11 points along with a game-high five assists and held Chris DeRojas, Wilkes' second-leading scorer at 13.8 points per game, to just one field goal and four points on the evening.

Harrity, who had set his previous career high of 11 points in the Blue Jays' most-recent game, a 69-64 overtime win over Messiah on Saturday, went 5-for-7 from the field and sank all four of his free-throw attempts. He helped the Elizabethtown bench finish with a 25-11 advantage in scoring over the Wilkes reserves.

Wilkes led by as many as five points in the game's opening minutes, but a 14-4 run in the latter stages of the half helped Elizabethtown to a 37-32 lead at intermission. Harrity and Flanagan shared the game high with 10 points apiece for the Blue Jays, who shot 51.7 percent (15-for-29) from the field in the half.

The Colonels kept their deficit within six points at 51-45 with 12:40 to go, but the Blue Jays took over from there as a 16-2 run pushed the Elizabethtown advantage to a game-high 17 points at 64-47 with 6:27 left. The Colonels pared the Blue Jay lead to six in the final 30 seconds but could get no closer.

Kyle McConnell just missed joining the Blue Jay quartet in double figures, as he finished with eight points along with four rebounds. In all, the Blue Jays had a slim 39-38 advantage on the glass while each team committed 14 turnovers.

From the Wilkes University Website:

COLONELS FALL TO ELIZABETHTOWN IN NON-CONFERENCE ACTION

box score

For the second time this season, the Wilkes University men’s basketball team fell to Elizabethtown, this time by a score of 76-69. Tom Kresge had another impressive performance, hitting 11-of-18 shots for a game-high 25 points.

The Blue Jays had four players scoring in double-figures while hitting 45.9 percent from the field as a team. The Colonels on the other hand, struggled hitting 24-of-63 shots for 38.1 percent.

The two teams went back and forth in the first half with the Colonels holding the lead most of the way. Mike Donatoni hit a pair of free throws with 8:24 to give Wilkes a 22-21 advantage. The Blue Jays proceeded to go a 10-0 run over the next four minutes to take a 31-21 lead with 4:47 to go and would lead the rest of the way.

The score was tied four times in the first half and the lead changed seven different times, but Elizabethtown would eventually take a 37-32 lead at the half.

Already leading 51-45, with 12:40 to go, the Blue Jays used a 9-0 run to lead 60-45with 7:49 to play. Elizabethtown would eventually lead by as many as 17, but Wilkes used a 7-0 in the final minute of the game to pull within seven.

Wilkes fell to 4-3 on the year, while E-town improved to 6-3. The Colonels will be back in action on Saturday when they take on Lycoming on the road at 1 p.m.