Box Score

LISLE, Ill. - The Edgewood College women's basketball team was agonizingly close to their fifth straight win and their first 5-0 conference start since in school history. However, a missed free throw and a missed put back off that free throw in the final six seconds wouldn't fall, and Benedictine University escaped with a 67-66 victory on Saturday afternoon.

Trailing 32-30 at halftime, Edgewood College (5-3, 4-1 NAC) scored 15 of the first 21 points of the second half and opened up a 45-38 lead with less than 14 minutes to play in the game. Shae Beckwith hit two three-point baskets and Amber Hemp added one of her own during the run. However, Benedictine regrouped after a timeout as Tracey Walsh scored seven consecutive points to tie the game at 45.

The two teams traded lead three more times, until a jump shot by Sadie Ewing tied the game at 62 with 2:23 left to play. From that point, Benedictine's Jenn Bren scored a bucket and Lidia Arias made two free throws to give the home team a 66-62 lead with 1:22 to play. Edgewood College then misfired on their next two possessions, but Benedictine kept them in the game by missing four consecutive free throws.

Finally, with 11 seconds to go, Hemp took a kick-out from Brittany Bylsma and nailed a three-point basket to cut the Edgewood College deficit to 66-65. Beckwith fouled immediately and the Edgewood College was rewarded when Benedictine's Walsh missed one out of her two free throws.

Edgewood College raced up the floor, but Benedictine's Karyn Conerty fouled Edgewood College's Ewing with six seconds left to play. Ewing connected on her first free throw to bring Edgewood College to within 67-66. Her second free throw was the off the mark, but Hemp grabbed the rebound and put up a shot in the closing seconds. Unfortunately, the ball wouldn't go down, and Edgewood College was stuck with their first Northern Athletics Conference loss of the season.

Bylsma finished with 14 points on 6-for-8 shooting and matched a career-high with four assists for Edgewood College. Alison Tobin scored 10 points and grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds for her second career double-double. Ewing scored 11 points to represent the third Eagle in double figures. Edgewood College was done in partly by poor free throw shooting. The Eagles made just seven of 16 attempts for 43.8 percent, coincidentally, the exact same shooting performance that they had from the three-point line.

Benedictine University (4-3, 2-1 NAC) was led by Walsh's 22 points, while Brenn added 13. Benedictine shot 30 free throws, making 20, compared to Edgewood College's 16 attempts.

Edgewood College is off until next Saturday when they travel to Iowa for a non-conference game against Coe College. The Eagles won't return home for a home game until meeting UW-Oshkosh on December 21.