Box Score
MADISON, Wis. - In the Northern Athletics Conference Tournament quarterfinal, the Edgewood College men's basketball team wanted badly to summon another performance featuring the hot shooting and suffocating defense they've shown at times this season. While a quick start gave the Eagles plenty of hope, an experienced Concordia University Chicago team never panicked and rallied to a 71-60 victory ending the Eagles' 2009-10 season.
Fourth-seeded Edgewood College (12-14) burst from the gate and hit their first three field goal attempts, eventually pulling out to an 11-0 lead less than four minutes into the game. Sophomore Kent Faurote scored five points on the run, including a three-pointer, while Ben Wisniewski tallied the last four points. The Eagles continued to hold down the Cougars for the next five minutes, holding an 18-6 lead nine minutes into the contest.
Mike Lichtenfield would finally shake Concordia Chicago (14-12) out of their funk, nailing back-to-back three-pointers to cut the Eagles' lead in half. Derek Nkemnji and senior Aaron Ritschard playing his final collegiate game would score buckets to keep the Eagles in front temporarily, but the Cougars finally erased the Eagles lead on a Jeff Weberg jumper with 4:51 to go in the half.
Wisniewski appeared to have given the Eagles the halftime lead with a three-pointer that put the Eagles up 30-27 with 36 seconds left, but Ryan Tyszkiewicz scored on a fastbreak and Larrell Gary nailed a three-pointer with two seconds left for a 32-30 Cougar lead at the break.
Wisniewski would tie the game at 35 with his second three-pointer of the game early in the second half, but that was the last time the Eagles would be even with the Cougars. Concordia Chicago's lead grew as large as nine points with nine minutes to play, until an 8-2 Eagle run narrowed the margin to 58-55. Faurote ended the scoring run with a free throw line jumper.
However, the Cougars would score six of the next seven points and then kill the clock with a single possession that lasted more than a one minute and fifteen seconds. Wisniewski scored two more buckets late, but Concordia Chicago sealed the game by making five of their last six free throws.
Wisniewski finished with a team-high 20 points and five assists. Faurote added 17 points including a pair of three-point field goals, and five assists of his own. Nkemnji scored seven points and set a new career-high with nine rebounds. The Eagles turned the ball over just 12 times, but hit only 39 percent (23-for-59) from the field and 21.1 percent (4-for-19) from the three-point line.
James Morgan rolled up a monster game for the Cougars scoring 20 points on 9-for-13 shooting and grabbing 14 rebounds. Weberg, Gary and Lichtenfield also scored in double figures. Concordia Chicago shot 45 percent from the field and committed just eight turnovers.
With the loss, the Eagles' streak of 23 consecutive winning seasons comes to an end. The last Eagle team to finish below .500 was the 1985-86 squad which went 0-19. Concordia University Chicago advances to the NAC Tournament semifinals where they will host eighth-seeded Dominican University, who were upset winners over top-seeded Concordia University Wisconsin 88-76.
