HOWARDS GROVE, Wis. (Jan. 3, 2006) – Edgewood College suffered a 65-60 loss at Lakeland College in Lake Michigan Conference men’s basketball action on Tuesday. With the loss, the Eagles (6-7, 2-3) dip back below the .500 mark, while the host Muskies maintained their position near the top of the league standings by improving to 9-4 overall (4-1 LMC).

The Eagles, who were playing without a number of regular starters and key reserves, were led by Ryan Johnsen’s (Greendale, Wis.) 20 points. Freshman Chris DeMarco (Appleton, Wis.) added 15 points and 11 rebounds in tallying his first collegiate double-double, while fellow rookie Brian Donais (Milwaukee, Wis.) scored 11 points.

DeMarco and Donais both made their way into the starting lineup for the first time in their young careers, as did freshmen Josh Culver (Dodgeville, Wis.) and Jon Ciche (Franklin, Wis.).

The Muskies were off the mark early after missing eight of their first nine shot attempts. The Eagles took advantage of their opponent’s sluggish start by jumping out to a 13-2 lead on a three-point basket by Mike Wilks (Kenosha, Wis.) with 13:37 remaining in the first half.

Edgewood was able to manage the lead until Kris Saiberlich’s jumper at the 5:11 mark tied the game at 19-19. Moments later Saiberlich knocked down another three-pointer to give the surging Muskies a five-point lead. Lakeland led at halftime 28-24.

Lakeland, which never trailed in the second half, extended its lead to double digits on a basket by Matt Rogers with 9:32 left to play to give the Muskies their largest lead of the game at 48-37. Johnsen sank a pair of free throws with just over four minutes remaining to get the Eagles back to within three, but the Muskies were also able to connect on their foul shots down the stretch to escape with the victory.

Edgewood will host Robert Morris College (Mo.) in a non-conference tilt this Saturday, Jan. 7 at the Todd Wehr Edgedome. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

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