MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Edgewood College managed to stymie a red-hot first half shooting effort from MSOE Tuesday night to creep back within striking distance in the second half, but by then it was too late and the Eagles fell 69-50 to drop to 9-12 overall and 8-8 in the NACC.
It was a tale of two halves for MSOE, as the Raiders shot a scorching 69.0 percent (20-of-29) in the first half but managed only a mark of 16.0 percent (4-of-25) in the second. Despite holding the Raiders to just 17 points in the second half, it was simply too late for Edgewood College to complete any sort of comeback.
The Eagles scored in their first two possessions to take a 4-2 lead after a Courtney Spangler jumper, but from then on the Eagles were simply unable to keep up with the sharp-shooting MSOE team. For most of the first 15 minutes the Raiders' field goal percentage hovered above 70 percent and even reached 80 percent (16-of-20) with 5:48 left in the half.
The Raiders used a 31-9 run to make it 41-15—their largest lead of the game—in the decisive first 20 minutes of play and Megan Kroll did most of the damage with 17 first half points. Despite leading by as many as 26 in the first half, the Raiders turned the ball over nine times compared to just six for the Eagles before the break.
MSOE's Marly Trier hit a jumper with 15:39 left to make it 57-33 Raiders before the Eagles put some pressure on and began hitting shots. Edgewood College went on a 10-0 run that was sparked by a Hannah Menzia layup. Menzia would score all six of her points during the run and suddenly it was 57-43 with just over 10 minutes remaining.
Rachel Pope's quick lay in following a steal ended the 10-0 run, as Margaret Pugh came down on the other end and hit a jumper with 10:05 left. The Eagles would never get to within 15 points from there on out.
Courtney Spangler wound up leading the Eagles in points with 12 and added six boards. Mariah Hill was the only other Eagles player in double figures with 10 points. Point guard Rachel Pope finished with four points but was particularly effective on the defensive end by finishing with six steals. For the second-consecutive game the Eagles struggled from the free throw line, finishing only 10-of-23 (43.5%).
Kroll only added two more points in the second half to finish with a game-high 19, while Shaylan Reardon (16) and Marly Trier (10) also reached double figures for the Raiders.
Next up for the Eagles will be Rockford University on Saturday, Feb. 7. The game is slated to start at 2 pm from Seaver Gymnasium.
