Wilkes-Barre, Pa. (January 22) – A three point basket with nine seconds to play in regulation by Brianna Horton and a pair of free throws by Jordan Jennings lifted Wilkes University to a 54-51 victory in Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) action inside Henry Gymnasium this afternoon. Wilkes erased what was a 21 point second quarter deficit by outscoring FDU 39-19 in the second half for the win.

FDU (1-12, 1-8 MAC Freedom) was paced by Angela Downey (Lyndhurst, NJ) with a season-high 18 points to go along with seven rebounds and a team-high three steals. Arian Coleman (Camden, NJ) came up just short of a double double with eight points and a game-high nine rebounds alongside three assists and a trio of steals in the effort. 
 
Horton led Wilkes (5-10, 4-5 MAC Freedom) with 14 points, while Jennings posted 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting from the floor to go along with a game-high nine rebounds. With the come from behind victory, Wilkes earned the sweep in the two game set played between the Colonels and Devils this season. 
 
Wilkes scored the first five points of the game before FDU answered with 16 straight points for a 16-5 lead at the end of the opening quarter. The run for the Devils spanned eight minutes and was highlighted by back to back shots from behind the arc by Kiley Drezek (Seymour, Conn.). FDU held the Colonels without a basket until the beginning portion of the second quarter.
 
FDU scored 14 straight in the second quarter and pushed its overall run to 28-4 well into the second stanza after Wilkes posted the opening five points of the contest. The 14 straight points for FDU was highlighted by a trio of three point baskets Downey and a layup by Madison Daly (Suffern, NY). At the break, FDU led by a 32-15 score and shot at a 40.0-percent clip (6-for-15) from three point range over the opening 20 minutes of action. 
 
Wilkes outscored FDU 16-8 in the third quarter and 23-11 in the fourth quarter en route to the win. A 13-4, nine minute run in the third cut FDU's lead to single digits (36-28) heading into the final ten minutes of play. 

The Colonels took their first lead of the game since the first quarter at 44-42 with 4:33 to play in regulation following a layup by Baylee Guedes. FDU, however, answered with six straight points on two free throws by Cassidy Miller (Roxbury, NJ), two shots in the paint by Destiny Knight (Philadelphia, Pa.) and a layup by Coleman for a 50-44 edge with just over a minute to play. 

With 20 ticks left on the clock, Coleman gave FDU a two point edge at 51-49 on a shot from the free throw line. Wilkes called a timeout and Horton drilled a three from behind the arc for the 52-51 lead. The Colonels forced a turnover and Jennings hit both free throws to secure the 54-51 win.

FDU shot 30.2-percent (16-for-53) from the floor, 26.7-percent (8-for-30) from behind the arc and 61.1-percent (11-for-18) from the free throw line. Wilkes shot 27.7-percent (18-for-65) from the floor, 20.8-percent (5-for-24) from behind the arc and 76.5-percent (13-for-17) from the free throw line.  The Colonels held a 47-41 edge in rebounds and a 24-10 differential in points in the paint.
 
FDU will next head to Delaware Valley University on Wednesday, January 26 for a MAC Freedom matchup at 6:00 pm.

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