MADISON, Wis. (Jan. 17, 2008) -- Aaron Ritschard hit a three with time expiring as the Edgewood College men’s basketball team rallied from a 15-point deficit to defeat Concordia Chicago 82-79 at the Edgedome. The win keeps the Eagles win streak alive, they have won their last five games and have not lost in 2008. Chris DeMarco and Charlie Averkamp both finished the night with double-doubles as they each notched 23 points, but it was Aaron Ritschard who proved the difference maker in the end.
The Eagles held a three-point lead with under one minute remaining until a John Ciche foul with six seconds left sent Concordia-Chicago’s Justin Gray to the line for a chance for three. Gray sunk all three shots from the charity stripe to tie the game, giving Edgewood College six seconds to potentially win the game. With one second remaining Aaron Ritschard let off a three from the corner to seal the game as time expired. It was Ritschard’s second game-winning shot of the season, his first coming with three ticks left against Baruch (N.Y.).
Hot three-point shooting in the first half helped the Cougars erase an eight-point deficit and build a 13-point halftime lead, shooting 10-for-17 (58.8 percent) in the first half. The Eagles responded in the second half, holding the Cougars to just three-for-12 from beyond the arc and just 35.5 percent from the field.
The Eagles slowly chewed away at the Cougar lead in the second half, thanks in part to the team shooting 54.8 percent (17-for-31) in the second half. Edgewood College, down a game-high 15 with 17:42 remaining were within four just ten minutes later.
Averkamp finished the game with 23 points, 15 boards, seven assists and three blocks, making this his fifth straight double-double. Averkamp was three-for-four from three-point range and a perfect six-for-six from the line. DeMarco had 23 points with 10 rebounds while Jon Ciche contributed 10 points. Aaron Ritschard finished with eight points, going one-for-three from beyond the arc, but converted on the one that mattered. Justin Gray finished with a game-high 27 points for the Cougars while Ryan Young added 19, going five-for-10 from three-point range.
The win pushes the Eagles to 8-6 overall and 5-2 in the Northern Athletics Conference while the Cougars suffer their seventh straight loss, falling to 2-12 overall and 2-7 in NAC play. The Eagles travel to Rockford College on Saturday for a game against the winless Regents. The Eagles next home game is on Wednesday, January 23 as they play Concordia Wisconsin at 7 p.m.
Summary by Mark Albanese, Sports Information
