RIVER FOREST, Ill. – It was nearly a comeback Eagle fans would have talked about for a long time. Instead Saturday's Edgewood College men's basketball game will go down as an 88-85 loss at Concordia University Chicago which snapped the Eagles' three-game winning streak. Edgewood College trailed by 23 points in the second half, before missing on a three-point shot on the game's final possession that would have forced overtime.
The game appeared to be lost for Edgewood College (7-8, 6-4 NACC) after Concordia University Chicago opened the second half with a 14-1 run to take a commanding 52-29 lead with only 15 minutes left to play. Even after the Cougars' Kostas Doxakis converted one of two free throws following an Eagle technical foul with 8:18 left to go, the Eagles still hadn't gained much ground trailing 69-49.
However after 32 minutes of lackluster play something awakened in the Eagles. Emilio Lopez provided the spark with a pair of free throws and a then a fastbreak layup off a steal from Adam Freitag. Then Trevon Ampe was rewarded for attacking the basket with three trips to the free throw line, where he converted four attempts. Lopez chipped in another hoop, Dylan Rusch converted a huge three-point play and Ampe scored off a dish from Jake Heuer to complete a stunning 15-0 in just barely over three minutes of playing time.
Concordia University Chicago (4-9, 2-8 NACC) managed to right the ship and keep the Eagles more than one possession away. In fact, it seemed the Cougars had sewn up the game again on dunk from Kylan Anderson with 54 seconds left to put CUC ahead 82-74.
The Eagles though managed to play the foul and score game to perfection. Joe Klocek, Emilio Lopez and Tal Diekvoss each hit three-pointers while the Cougars converted free throws at the other end to make the score 88-83. Even when Klocek misfired Lopez snared the rebound and drew the foul. After Lopez converted his free throws with 18 seconds left to cut the margin to 88-85, the Eagles forced Doxakis into a turnover against the full court press to give the Eagles once more chance. Edgewood College used two timeouts to set up the final play, but ultimately Diekvoss's long, challenged three-point shot with three seconds remaining missed the mark.
For the first time in 11 years, Edgewood College had six players score in double figures, and four of them came off the bench. Diekvoss led all Eagles with 16 points, including four three-point baskets. Lopez provided the lift the Eagles needed with a season-high 13 points, while Klocek also scored 13 points on 6-for-10 shooting. Freitag nailed three three-pointers and finished with 11 points. Rusch tallied 11 points and a team-high six assists. Ampe was the final Eagle in double figures, scoring 10 points. Heuer led all players with a career-high 10 rebounds. Edgewood College attempted an uncharacteristic 35 three-point shots in mounting their comeback, making 11 of them.
Concordia University Chicago received 19 points from Doxakis to lead four other teammates in double figures for the Cougars. DeAires Blackwell, Mike Walmer and Anderson each scored 14 points, while Tino Vasquez had 12 points. The Cougars shot an astounding 62.5 percent from the field, including 67.9 percent in the second half. Concordia Chicago scored 46 of their 88 points in the paint.
Edgewood College returns home for their next NACC contest on Tuesday. The Eagles will host Lakeland College in a 7:00 tilt at the Todd Wehr Edgedome on January 13. The game will be broadcast live on EdgewoodCollegeEagles.com.
