MADISON, Wis. (Jan. 26, 2008) – A second half surge by Aurora University gave the Spartans a double-digit lead which was too much to overcome as Edgewood College fell 75-68 on Saturday afternoon at the Todd Wehr Edgedome. For the Eagles it was their second straight home game setback after rattling off six straight wins in the new year.
A tightly contested first half continued into the second until Jon Ciche gave the Eagles their last lead of the game at 33-32 with 17 minutes remaining. Over the next 11 minutes the Aurora University (15-3, 11-0 NAC) would outscore the Eagles 27-8 to take a commanding 59-41 lead with 6:47 to go.
Edgewood College (9-8, 6-4 NAC) would fight back with a 12-0 run of their own, featuring five points from Chris DeMarco and three-point basket from Brian Donais, but the Spartans regrouped, scoring their final 17 points of the game from the free throw line. A pair of Donais three-pointers in the last 20 seconds brought the Eagles to within five, but Doug Lambert of Aurora University finished the threat with a pair of free throws.
Edgewood College, playing their second straight game without Charlie Averkamp, was led by Chris DeMarco who finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds, marking his sixth double-double of the season. John Fahey totaled 13 points on five-for-eight shooting, including three-for-four from the three-point line. Aaron Ritschard and Brian Donais each had nine points, with Ritschard handing out a team-high five assists. Jon Ciche grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Eagles on the glass. Edgewood College held a huge 50-31 advantage in rebounding, but turned the ball over 23 times.
Aurora University had four players in double figures, led by Doug Lambert with 19 points. Larry Welton, the NAC’s leading scorer, tallied 14 points, while Shane Roland and Mike Leonard chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Edgewood College will attempt to shake their two-game losing streak when they host Lakeland College on Tuesday night. Game time is set for 7 p.m. and all the action can be heard on EdgewoodCollegeEagles.com.
