MADISON, Wis. – Edgewood College (8-4) captured the championship trophy of 2005 Edgewood College Men’s Basketball Classic on Tuesday with an impressive 77-49 victory over Finlandia University (6-7).

Junior Seth Cooper* (Madison, Wis.) paced the Eagles with 15 points, in addition to seven rebounds and four assists. Greg Blaska (DeForest, Wis.) pitched in 12 points, seven rebounds, and two blocked shots. Edgewood committed just eight turnovers, while tying a season-high with 21 assists.

By scoring the last 11 points of the first half, the Eagles enjoyed a 36-21 advantage at halftime. A three-point basket by Nick Lehman (Waupun, Wis.) with 11 minutes, 23 seconds remaining in the second half initiated a 13-2 run by the Eagles, extending their lead to 25 points.

Lehman knocked down a pair of three pointers in the victory to finish with six points, including five rebounds, in just nine minutes. Edgewood’s bench outscored Finlandia’s bench 27-18. The visiting Lions were led by Josh Strelecki and Tyler Lloyd who finished with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Edgewood guard David Michalkiewicz* (Menasha, Wis.), who received the tournament’s Mr. Hustle Award, finished with eight points, four rebounds, and four assists. The Mr. Rebound Award went to Eagle freshman Charlie Averkamp (New Berlin, Wis.). Averkamp grabbed a total of 19 rebounds in two games, including eight boards in the championship game. Blaska, Edgewood’s 6-foot-8 center, was named Mr. Defense for his stellar play in the post.

Cooper and Averkamp earned all-tournament recognition as did Finlandia’s Mike Nowaczyk and Ryan Artley. Ralph Rampellini of the University of Dallas rounded out the five-person squad.

The Eagles will now travel to York, Penn., where they will participate the Coaches vs. Cancer tournament hosted by York College. Edgewood will take on Oneonta State at 7 p.m. (CST) on Friday, Jan. 7. The winner will play either Drew University or host York at 2 p.m. (CST) on Saturday, Jan. 8.