MADISON, Wis. – It may not have been pretty, but don't ask the Edgewood College women's basketball team to apologize. The Eagles suffered through some long scoreless droughts, but used a big third quarter to upend Marian University 56-50 at the Edgedome on Saturday. The Eagles moved their record back to .500 with their second straight NACC victory.
Edgewood College (4-4, 2-2 NACC) appeared that they might blow the game open in the first few minutes. Delaney Wilhelm nailed two three-pointers in the first 90 seconds to give the Eagles a 7-0 lead. However, Marian University (2-6, 0-4 NACC) clawed their way back in and took a 14-13 lead on the last basket of the quarter by Sarah Schultz. The Sabres extended their lead to 29-26 by halftime, as the Eagles struggled to just 30 percent shooting.
The Eagles finally found their groove in the third quarter. Wilhelm got the Eagles going with a jumper off a pass by Abby Shane, and moments later Allison Gordon took a rebound coast-to-coast and fed Diamond Pikulyk for a fast break layup. Riley Larson scored off another assist from Gordon and the Eagles had a 34-31 lead. After the Sabres closed the margin to two, Jennifer Freeman and Shane connected from the three-point line, followed by two-point baskets by Shane and Wilhelm for a 12-6 run to close the period with a 47-39 lead.
Marian scored the first two hoops of the fourth period, but baskets by Larson and Pikulyk pushed the Eagles lead back to eight points at 51-43. From there, Freeman made five of six foul shots to ice the game.
Shane led all the Eagles with 13 points, including two three-pointers. Wilhelm recorded a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Freeman finished 10 points, while Pikulyk had nine points and 10 rebounds. Brooke Lonigro led the team with four assists. Edgewood College shot just 33.9 percent from the field, but the Eagles matched a season-low with just 14 turnovers.
Marian University was led by Rachel Serchen's double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Brandi Bender tallied 15 points including a pair of three-point baskets. The Sabres were hindered by missing 13 free throws in the game.
Edgewood College now owns a two-game conference winning streak for the first time since January 13, 2016. The Eagles will travel on Wednesday to Platteville for a non-conference game with UW-Platteville.
