ROCKFORD, Ill. - Edgewood College is in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Championship Tournament for the second-straight season after an 84-77 win over Rockford University Saturday afternoon at Seaver Gymnasium. The Eagles (11-11, 10-7 NACC) survived a late push from the Regents for their third-straight victory.
Edgewood College led by as many as 16 with just 2:37 left in regulation after a Trevor Neale lay-in but turnovers allowed the Regents to get as close as three points with 30 seconds left. The Eagles turned it over three times in a 50-second span and suddenly the Regents were down only 76-70 with 1:00 remaining after a Blake Hunter triple. The Eagles were 8-of-10 from the charity stripe from then on out, including a clutch pair from Dylan Rusch after Michael Murray made it a three-point game on a layup with 30 seconds left.
After Rusch's free throws to make it 82-77 Eagles with 23 seconds left, Dylan Heemstra recorded a block on Rockford's next possession on an attempt from Trae Blumhorst. Derek Braucht secured the rebound and hit both free throws on the other end to close things out.
The Eagles led by double digits for most of the final 10 minutes of the first half and entered halftime up 47-33. They would lead by at least nine points all the way up to the 8:25 mark of the second half, when Blumhorst converted on a layup to make it 64-57. The Eagles would then go on a 9-0 run to give them their biggest lead (16) with 2:37 left.
Trevor Neale's post presence carried the Eagles for most of the game. He ended up with 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting for his fifth game in double figures out of the last six contests. Joe Klocek dominated on the boards and pulled down a season-high 14 rebounds while chipping in 13 points for his first double-double of the year. Dylan Rusch (13) and Derek Braucht (12) also reached double figures for the Eagles.
Blumhorst wound up with 23 on 9-of-22 shooting to lead the Regents, while Michael Murray had 22 on 7-of-14 shooting. Both finished with double-doubles, as Blumhorst hauled in 10 boards and Murray totaled 11.
Seven of the eight NACC Tournament spots have now been sealed following Saturday's action. The Eagles are tied with Lakeland in fourth place with three games remaining for each team. The two teams will meet in the regular season finale on Wednesday, Feb. 18. The top-four teams in the standings following the end of the regular season will host a first-round matchup in the NACC Tournament.
Next up for the Eagles will be Wisconsin Lutheran on Tuesday, Feb. 10 at the Edgedome. Start time is scheduled for 7 pm.
