MADISON, Wis. – Jake Negus scored a career-high 19 points and kept the Edgewood College men's basketball team in it down the stretch, but the Eagles fell short against UW-Stevens Point, 71-64, in one of the most competitive matchups in series history.

Ben Seefeld added 12 points, all in the first half, and Sy Staver posted 11 points with nine free throws in defeat. Despite the loss, the Eagles (3-7) never trailed by more than nine and showed vast improvement after losing at UW-Stevens Point by over 50 points a year ago. Costly turnovers in the last two minutes snatched away any chance the Eagles had at their first victory against the Pointers (6-2) since 2006.

Negus scored six of his game-high 19 points in the final two minutes, including a 3-pointer with 1:59 to go that cut the Pointer lead down to 64-59. The Eagle offense, which shot nearly 60 percent in the first half and 38 percent in the second, generated just two free throw makes and two turnovers over the next 101 seconds to find themselves down 69-61 with 18 seconds left. Three straight free throws by Negus pulled the Eagles to a 69-64 deficit, but the Pointers sealed it with a pair of charity stripe conversions by Drew Fredrickson to take the win.

Led by Seefeld, the Eagles shot nearly 60 percent in the first half and committed just six turnovers in keeping pace with the Pointers, who shot 50 percent and led 34-33 after the opening period.

Fredrickson led the Pointer attack with 19 points on 4 of 6 shooting, while MJ Delmore added 14 points. Nate Dodge, the Pointers leading scorer at over 18 points per game, was held to nine points with four turnovers off the bench.

It was only the fifth time in the 28-game history of the series that a game was decided by single digits and was also the third time in the last 11 meetings that the Pointers have not been nationally ranked when facing the Eagles.

The Eagles return to NACC play in hosting Lakeland (7-4, 4-3 NACC) this Saturday, Dec. 30 at 2:00 p.m.