Box Score
MADISON, Wis. - Playing their third game in five days, the legs of the Edgewood College men's basketball team looked a little heavy in the first half of their game against Knox College. However, Jeff Barczak and Kent Faurote provided an offensive spark and the Eagles clamped down defensively in the second half to pull away for a 72-43 win over the Prairie Fire.
Edgewood College (6-6) took the lead for good with a 9-0 run first run to give themselves a 13-5 lead. Freshman Michael Janusek finished off the spurt with five straight points, including a three-point basket. Knox College (1-8) stayed in the game by hitting 50 percent (10-for-20) from the field in the first half. After a Roger Ortiz free throw cut the Eagles' lead to five points, senior Aaron Ritschard gave Edgewood College a shot in the arm with a driving layup as time expired for a 30-23 halftime lead.
The second half belonged to Eagles. Junior forward Barczak and sophomore guard Faurote came out of the locker room firing on all cylinders, combining for every point on a 13-0 Eagles' run to open the second half. Barczak used an array of inside moves to score four buckets in the paint, while Faurote added a layup and a three-point basket to put the Eagles ahead 43-23 and force a Knox timeout.
Defensively, the Eagles were just as sharp, holding the Prairie Fire to just 12 points and forcing 14 turnovers through the first 17 minutes of the second half. The Eagles gained their largest lead of the second half, 70-32, on a pair of Free throws by Ben Wisniewski.
Barczak led the team by recording the Eagles' first double-double of the season, with 20 points and 10 rebounds, earning season highs in both categories. The game was the third double-double of Barczak's career. Wisniewski came off the bench to score in double figures for the eighth straight game, tallying 11 points, thanks to a 6-for-7 night at the free throw line. Faurote chipped eight of his 10 points in the second half. The Eagles shot 49.1 percent (28-for-57) from the field and forced 29 Prairie Fire turnovers.
Knox College was led by post player Lukas Shaw, who scored 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds off the bench. No other Prairie Fire player scored more than six points. Knox shot 42.5 percent from the field for the game.
Edgewood College will now have a full week off, and return to action on January 9 when they host Wisconsin Lutheran College. The Eagles and Warriors will tipoff at 4:15 p.m. following the women's game. Both contests will be carried live on EdgewoodCollegeEagles.com.
