STEVENS POINT, Wis. – In the midst of a difficult stretch in their schedule, the Edgewood College men's basketball team started strong, giving the number six team in the country a run for their money. The Eagles dominated the boards in the first half and only trailed by single digits, but some late defensive stands by UW-Stevens Point allowed the Pointers to pull away for a 63-48 victory.

Cashton Craig hit a three-pointer in the first minute to put the Eagles up early, but the Pointers' Joe Ritchay responded with a three of his own and a pair of free throws to hand UW-Stevens Point their first lead of the game. Later in the half, with the game tied at 12-12, Edgewood College (2-8) began to put the pressure on the sixth-ranked Pointers.

Justin Williams cashed in on a bucket down low after a Brett Meinecke free throw put the Eagles up three. UW-Stevens Point's Sean McGann cut the Eagles lead to one, but Tal Diekvoss nailed a three and Meinecke's layup gave Edgewood College their largest lead of the game at six. The lead did not last long as UW-Stevens Point (9-0) scored the next seven points to retake the lead. The Pointers saw their lead grow to 10, but Craig hit a jumper and Jake Heuer cashed in a last-second three-pointer to cut the Eagles' deficit to seven at the break.

UW-Stevens Point hit 50 percent of their shots from the field in the first half while holding Edgewood College to 37.9 percent.

The Eagles came out of the locker room to chip away at UW-Steven Point's lead and only trailed by four with 14:18 left in the game after another Craig triple. From there, the Pointers turned up their defense and only allowed one basket in the next seven and a half minutes to take a 55-39 lead. With only six minutes remaining and UW-Stevens Point leading by 16, the Pointers used the clock to their advantage to close out the game and come away with the 15-point victory.

Edgewood College only turned the ball over 10 times, but could only force three UW-Stevens Point mistakes. The Eagles only got to the line four times, converting on two attempts. Edgewood College held a 31-28 rebounding advantage, but the Pointers only allowed the Eagles to shoot 34.5 percent (20-for-58) from the field.

Eight different Eagles put up points, with Craig scoring 12 to lead Edgewood College. Craig also grabbed five boards. Williams chipped in nine to go along with four rebounds. The Pointers' Ritchay was unstoppable, pouring in a career-high 27 points for UW-Stevens Point.

Edgewood College's schedule does not get any easier as they have a week off before taking on Division III's second ranked team in UW-Whitewater. Edgewood College will provide live video and live stats for next Saturday's game. Fans will be able to follow this live coverage on EdgewoodCollegeEagles.com.