MADISON, Wis. (January, 28, 2006) -- Nearly 400 people packed the Todd Wehr Edgedome on Saturday to watch the Edgewood College Eagles defeat the two-time defending NCAA Division III national champion UW-Stevens Point by the score of 67-66. The game, which featured 16 lead changes, was decided by an Eddie Hebl (Brookfield, Wis.) free-throw with under a second remaining in regulation.
With UW-Stevens point clinging to a six-point lead with under one minute left in the first half, Hebl scored two of his 12 points to cut the lead to four. Following a Chris DeMarco (Appleton, Wis.) steal, Justin Kuhnau* (Wisconsin Dells, Wis.) drained a three-pointer with four seconds remaining to get the Eagles to within one at halftime.
In the second half, Charlie Averkamp (New Berlin, Wis.) scored 15 of his team-high 21 points, including a three-pointer with under three minutes left in play to give the Eagles a 65-60 lead. The Eagles then had their lead sliced to two after a pair of free-throws by Jon Krull and a lay-up by Khalifa El-Amin.
After a Seth Cooper* (Madison, Wis.) missed shot, the Eagles sent UW-Stevens Point to the line again, where Krull converted on both his foul shots, which tied the game with 29 seconds remaining. On the Eagles’ last possession and with the clock winding down, Hebl drove the lane and was fouled on a shot attempt with sixth-tenths of a second left.
“I just tried to keep my same form and do the same things I do in practice,” said Hebl.
Hebl missed his first attempt, and after a UW-Stevens Point timeout, Hebl went back to the line and was successful in his second attempt, which gave the Eagles a 67-66 lead. Krull fired a desperation three-pointer at the buzzer, but it fell short and handed the Eagles the upset.
Hebl, who arguably had his most impressive performance this season, scored 12 points and grabbed five rebounds coming off of the bench. UW-Stevens Point was led in scoring by Krull’s 25 points.
The Eagles return to Lake Michigan Conference play as they travel to Wisconsin Lutheran College on Tuesday, Jan. 31 for a show-down with the Warriors.
Game story by Bill Dictus
