MILWAUKEE, Wis. - The sixth-seeded Edgewood College Eagles have proved they are capable of playing with the No. 3 MSOE on multiple occasions this season but let a poor start to the second half end their 2014-15 season Saturday night at the Kern Center. The Eagles were down 31-25 at the break but let the Raiders go on an 18-0 run to begin the second half and eventually fell 72-48 in the NACC quarterfinal matchup.
Senior guard Mariah Hill provided the Eagles with a fast start by scoring nine of the Eagles' first 14 points. Both teams struggled from the field early on. Hill converted on a layup to make it 8-7 MSOE at the 16:09 mark, but the Eagles wouldn't score another basket until the 8:05 mark, when Sierra Jiran made a layup. The Raiders were up 20-12 at that point.
Hill would score seven more points before the half to keep the Eagles close at 31-25 heading into the locker room. Both teams were shooting below 40 percent at the break, with the Eagles at 34.6 percent (9-of-26) and the Raiders at 37.0 percent (10-of-27).
The Raiders would hit buckets on seven of their first eight possessions to open the second half and stretched their lead to 20 in less than five minutes. The Raiders would lead by as many as 25 down the stretch. Jazmin Little would do her best to keep the Eagles within striking distance by scoring 15 of her 16 points in the second half. But the Raiders proved to be simply too hot from the field in the closing minutes and shot 56.0 percent (14-of-25) in the second half.
Earlier this season the Eagles limited the Raiders to just 17 points in the second half at the Kern Center in a 69-50 loss. Little's 16 points was a career-high in her time at Edgewood College and she reached the mark on 5-of-9 shooting. Hill was held scoreless in the second half and was also 5-of-9, including a 2-for-3 mark from downtown. Freshman guard Hannah Menzia had the next-highest point total for the Eagles with seven on 2-of-8 shooting.
The Eagles close the 2014-15 season with an overall record of 12-14. The Raiders, meanwhile, advance to the NACC semifinals and will play No. 2 Benedictine at 7 pm Wednesday.
