SHEBOYGAN, Wis. – The shooting woes that limited the Edgewood College women's basketball team over the last few games disappeared on Tuesday night in Woltzen Gymnasium. And being the final game before the NACC Tournament, the timing couldn't be better. The Eagles downed Lakeland College 74-62 to secure the sixth-seed in the NACC Tournament which begins on Saturday.
However, the good feelings didn't start early for the Eagles. After Courtney Spangler and Hannah Menzia scored to open the game, Lakeland College (10-15, 9-11 NACC) hit back-to-back three-pointers in a 13-0 run. The Eagles had climbed back to trail just 24-21 when Jazmin Little connected on a jumper and Sierra Jiran drilled a three-point shot to give Edgewood College (12-13, 11-9 NACC) the lead back. That would be the start of a 14-2 run, featuring four points from Rachel Pope and capped with a three-point play by Menzia. Lakeland countered with seven straight points to end the half, and the Eagles led just 37-35 at the break.
Despite the short lapse at the end of the first half, the Eagles quickly reasserted control. Edgewood College would hold Lakeland without a field goal for the first 7:49 of the second half. During that stretch the Eagles would score six of their seven baskets on layups to take a 51-37 lead. The Muskies responded with a 10-0 run to cut the Eagles lead back to 51-47, but that was as close as the home team would get.
Pope scored a three-point play, Mariah Hill nailed jumpers on consecutive possessions and Menzia scored twice inside for another 14-2 run to put the game out of reach at 65-49 with seven minutes left. The Eagles would lead by as many as 18 points before Lakeland scored the final three field goals of the game.
Pope led the Eagles with 22 points, marking her fourth game this season with 20 or more points, but first since December 6. Hill scored 18 points and handed out a team-high six assists. With 261 career assists, Hill needs six more assists to move into fourth place all-time in Edgewood College history. Menzia scored 12 points, while Zoey Dougherty added seven points and a team-high seven rebounds. Edgewood College shot 46 percent from the field, which was their best shooting performance of the season. The Eagles scored 36 of their 74 points in the paint.
Lakeland College received a game-high 25 points from Bailey Grayvold on 7-for-15 shooting. Therese McMahon added 11 points, while Kathleen Cabrera had a double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds. The Muskies committed 22 turnovers which led to 32 Edgewood College points.
The Eagles will hit the road for their first NACC Tournament game, travelling to third-seeded MSOE on Saturday evening. MSOE has defeated the Eagles twice this year, including a 69-50 decision at the Kern Center on February 3.
