STEVENS POINT, Wis. – It appears forty minutes is simply not enough time for the Edgewood College men's basketball team. Dylan Rusch hit an amazing three-point shot to send the Eagles to their third overtime game in four contests this season, but 11th-ranked UW-Stevens Point escaped with a 69-60 victory. The Eagles had overcome a 15-point deficit in the first half and a 10-point deficit in the second half.
Edgewood College (1-3) trailed by 10 points with 12:21 to go in the second half, after UWSP's Joe Ritchay scored a bucket in the paint for a 44-34 lead. However the Eagles would score the next seven straight points, capped by a three-point play from Matt Savatski. The Eagles were cut the margin to one point and were still that close at 50-49 after a Jake Heuer jumper with four minutes remaining.
UW-Stevens Point (3-1) responded with six straight points, while the Eagles misfired on four straight possessions to give the Pointers a seemingly insurmountable lead at 56-49 with 59 seconds to play. However, Tal Diekvoss drilled a three-point shot on the Eagles next possession. After Ritchay missed two free throws, Heuer stuck a three-point shot from the top of the key, and the Eagles trailed 56-55 with 8.1 seconds to play. Edgewood College immediately fouled Stephen Pelkofer who calmly sunk two free throws with a hair over six seconds left. The Eagles inbounded to Rusch who raced down the left sideline and pulled up for an off-balance, contested three-point shot. Rusch's prayer found the bottom of the net to force overtime for the Eagles for the third time in November.
The overtime period, however, belonged to the Pointers. UWSP scored two baskets and a free throw, before Derek Braucht made a layup to cut the lead to 63-60 in favor of the Pointers. Braucht's bucket would be the last Eagle points of the night while UW-Stevens Point scored their final six points from the free throw line.
In the first half, it appeared the nationally ranked Pointers were set to roll past Edgewood College. The Pointers pulled out a 23-7 run to take a 28-13 lead with less than eight minutes remaining until halftime. Dylan Heemstra and Rusch hit three-pointers and Trevor Neale and Braucht scored inside to bring the Eagles within 28-25. UWSP stopped the 12-0 run with a basket from Alex Richard, but Savatski drilled another three-point shot to close out the first half with the Eagles down just 30-28.
Diekvoss led an extremely balanced scoring column for Edgewood College with 12 points, including a pair of three-pointers. Heuer scored nine points, while Rusch and Trevon Ampe added eight points apiece. Heemstra finished with a team-high seven rebounds, while Heuer had three assists. The Eagles shot 43.6 percent for the game, including 7-for-15 from the three-point line.
Richard led UW-Stevens Point with 25 points, while Jordan Lutz scored 13 points, with three three-point baskets. The Pointers shot 40 percent from the field, but were aided by a 26-9 advantage in free throw attempts.
Edgewood College returns to NACC play this Saturday with a 4:15 game at Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois.
