Box Score
MADISON, Wis. - It wasn't a thing of beauty, but conference victories don't require style points. The Edgewood College men's basketball team overcame an eight-point halftime deficit and scored five of their final seven points at the free throw line for a 61-58 win in the Northern Athletics Conference opener for both teams.
Edgewood College (2-3, 1-0 NAC) held the Sabres scoreless for nearly the first four minutes of the second half, erasing a 36-28 margin with a 9-0 run. Fastbreak layups by Jeff Barczak and Tony Cates, sandwiched around a Kent Faurote three-point basket erased the Sabres' halftime advantage.
The teams traded leads four times in the ensuing minutes, with the Eagles holding a narrow 54-53 lead with 4:24 left to play. At that point in the game, both teams went ice cold, failing to score for the next 3:29. Kevin Hudak of Marian University (3-5, 0-1 NAC) broke the drought by putting the Sabres up by one with just 55 seconds to play.
However, Faurote attacked the rim and drew a foul with 37 seconds left. The ensuing free throws put the Eagles back on top 56-55. After a Sabre turnover, Barczak add two more free throws for a three-point cushion.
On the next Sabre possession the Eagles seemed to have clinched the win when Edgewood College's Derek Nkemnji picked the pocket of Hudak and scored a breakaway layup for a brief 60-55 lead with 11 seconds to play. The Sabres answered almost immediately with a three-point basket from Hudak with less the four seconds to go. The Sabres fouled Barczak on the inbound, and the junior forward made one of two free throws with 1.8 seconds remaining. A desperation heave by Marian's Logan Rankin fell far short.
Faurote went 8-for-8 at the free throw line and had team-highs with 16 points and four assists. Ben Wisniewski and Barczak each added 11 points with Barczak pulling down a game-high eight rebounds. The Eagles made five fewer field goals than did the Sabres, but held a 17-6 advantage from the free throw line.
Hudak almost singlehandedly lifted the Sabres to a first half lead, going 6-for-6 from the field, and 2-for-2 at the free throw line for 14 points on his way to a game-high 21 points. Rankin scored 18 points, but the rest of the Sabres combined for only 19 points. The Sabres shot 50 percent in the first half, but managed just 31 percent in the second.
Edgewood College will remain at home for the next game, a 4:15 p.m. date with Aurora University on Saturday.
