MADISON, Wis. – When you coach one of the youngest teams in the nation, not every game will be a work of art. Edgewood College head coach Chaia Huff witnessed it first hand on Tuesday night at the Edgedome as her Eagles plodded through a lackluster first half, before overcoming Alverno College 61-51. Abby Shane scored nine of her team-high 11 points in the second half to push the Eagles to victory.
Edgewood College (6-6, 4-3 NACC) scored the first seven points of the game behind two baskets by Riley Larson, and led 11-7 at the end of the first quarter. Allison Gordon scored a put back with seven minutes to go before halftime to give the Eagles their largest first half lead at 17-9, but Alverno College (4-8, 1-6 NACC) would control the rest of the half.
Alverno would go on a 14-2 run behind a pair of three-pointers by Mackenzie Mathies to take a 23-19 lead. Jennifer Freeman would hit her first of three three-pointers to put the Eagles back in front temporarily, but the Inferno went to the locker room leading 28-24.
The Eagles finally got their offense in gear in the third period using the fast break and the three-point shot. Trailing 32-30, Freeman picked off an Alverno inbounds pass and fed a streaking Riley Larson down the right side for a layup to tie the game. Alverno answered, but a pair of Freeman three-pointers sandwiched around a strong post move by Diamond Pikulyk put the Eagles ahead for good at 40-36 with three minutes left in the third period.
Edgewood College would extend the lead to 10 points in the fourth quarter following a pair of Allison Gordon free throws. Alverno got within five points twice, but Shane nailed a three-pointer in the final minute to put the game out of reach.
Shane finished with 11 points on 5-for-12 shooting. Gordon recorded her third double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Larson and Freeman both finished with nine points, with all of Freeman's scoring coming from behind the arc and Larson adding a team-high four steals. Pikulyk chipped in eight points. Brooke Lonigro dished out five assists with Delaney Wilhelm handing out four assists. The Eagles turned the ball over a season-low 11 times, including just three in the second half.
Alverno's Mathies and Karli Selear shared game-high honors with 15 points apiece. Dani Hood led the Inferno with 10 rebounds, while Gabbi Hood had nine points and five assists. Fourteen of the Inferno's 19 turnovers were the results of Eagles' steals.
Edgewood College will put their winning NACC record on the line against one of the two remaining unbeaten teams in the conference. The Eagles will face Wisconsin Lutheran College on Saturday in Milwaukee, looking to hand the Warriors their first NACC loss. Game time is at 4:15 p.m.
