EASTON, Pa.- Senior Eric Sondberg's 16 points propelled Lafayette men's basketball team over Wilkes, 69-53, in the 2023-24 home opener on Sunday afternoon in Kirby Sports Center.

Sondberg, a Davidsonville, Md. native, grabbed seven rebounds, made two steals and dished an assist to add to his team-leading tally.

The Leopards opened against the Colonels with a 15-12 lead through the first 10 minutes of play. Junior center Justin Vander Baan was one of six scorers in the run, tallying four points.

Lafayette pushed forward, led by freshman Mark Butler with five points to overtake Wilkes 25-19 at 6:36.

The Colonels found their footing posting a 9-9 run in the final five minutes. The Maroon and White shot 48.3 percent from the floor in the first half to earn a 34-28 advantage at the break.

Wilkes opened the second half with a deep 3-pointer by Lucas Lesko (LOCAL KID). Chris Rubayo made an offensive rebound and assisted Sondberg's subsequentially matching the shot from beyond the arc at 16:48, leading 37-31.

Rubayo then netted six points of his own down to the 14-minute mark to extend the Leopard advantage to 44-36.

Freshman Josh Wyche and sophomore Ryan Pettit made back-to-back plays, stealing the ball for a fast break dunk and layup, respectively, at 10:27, 51-38.

The Maroon and White's largest lead of the day came at 6:36, when the team led 59-42.

Wilkes had a 15-12 spurt to the four-minute mark, still trailing by 10, 63-53. The Leopards kept out of reach with a final six-point push to earn the first victory of the season.

Lafayette narrowly out-rebounded the Colonels 37-36, but took a 13-10 margin on the offensive glass. 

Up next, the University of Pennsylvania's men's basketball program will host a multi-team event (MTE) at The Palestra over Thanksgiving, when Belmont, Lafayette and Monmouth travel to University City for the Cathedral of College Basketball Classic.

The Leopards face the host on Friday with tip-off slated for 4:30 p.m.

 
For the latest on the Lafayette College men's basketball program, follow the Leopards on Twitter @LafayetteMBB and Instagram @lafayettembb.