Box Score PURCHASE, N.Y. – Senior forward Kendall Hinze led all scorers with 24 points and was perfect from the field as Wilkes held off a determined Manhattanville squad by a 68-62 score in a hotly contested Freedom Conference men's basketball contest on Saturday afternoon at Kennedy Gymnasium.
Hinze carried his team to a win with a nearly perfect shooting day, as the forward went a perfect 7 of 7 from the field and also connected on 10 of 12 attempts from the charity stripe on the way to his game-high point total. Jourdon Wilson added 15 points and Paul Huch chipped in 13 as well for the visitors, who received 60 of their 68 points from their five starters.
Senior Ivan Jovicic (Belgrade, Serbia/Sports HS Belgrade) led a balanced Manhattanville attack with 11 points, followed by 10 apiece from seniors Trevoy Pointer (Dallas, Texas/Skyline) and Armani Blackmon (Plano, Texas/Plano East). Blackmon also added a game-high 10 rebounds, while fellow senior Brian Bertucci (Gibbsboro, N.J./Solebury Prep) also provided a spark off the bench with six points, four rebounds, one assist and one block in 16 minutes.
Matt Mullins scored the first basket of the game for Wilkes and the Colonels never trailed throughout the first half, building their lead up to as many as 11 points on a pair of Hinze free throws that gave the visitors a 24-13 lead with 10:57 left. But the Valiants never let the game get out of hand in the first half, and went into the break with a manageable six-point deficit after a layup from senior Felipe Vargas (Miami, Fla./Miami Christian) in the final seconds made the score 35-29.
In the second half, Wilkes built its lead back up to a game-high 12 points at 48-36 on another Hinze bucket, but Manhattanville came right back with a 9-0 run concluded with an offensive rebound and putback by Bertucci to get the home team within three with 11:03 left. The Valiants got within one possession three more times in the half, the last coming after a pair of Blackmon free throws with 1:37 remaining, but Manhattanville could never get the tying bucket down the stretch.
For the game, Manhattanville could only manage 36.1 percent (22 for 61) shooting from the field, including a 2-of-14 effort from beyond the arc. Wilkes shot a much higher percentage, hitting one more field goal in 11 fewer attempts (23 for 50, 46.0 percent). Both teams were accurate from the charity stripe, as Manhattanville hit on 16 of 19 attempts while Wilkes made 19 of their 23 attempts.
Manhattanville (7-8, 1-3 Freedom) will return to the court on Wednesday night, as the Valiants travel to defending champion Delaware Valley for an 8 p.m. tipoff. The live audio broadcast will begin on WMVL 88.1 FM beginning at 7:50 p.m. Wilkes (11-4, 4-0 Freedom) will travel to King's (Pa.) on Wednesday at 8 p.m.
