MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Don't look now, but Edgewood College men's basketball has quietly moved into the role of "contender" in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference. The Eagles pushed their way into a tie for third place in the NACC with a gutsy 71-62 win at Wisconsin Lutheran College. Freshmen Ben Seefeld and Jake Negus combined to score 32 points to lead the way.
Edgewood College (5-8, 5-3 NACC) held the Warriors without a point for a five-minute stretch in the first half, but only managed a 16-9 lead behind three-point baskets from Negus and Arik Anderson. The Eagles opened up a 10-point lead at 27-17 after two free throws by Emil Radisevic, and carried a 31-22 lead into halftime. Travis Kell and Seefeld each had eight first half points for the Eagles.
Wisconsin Lutheran (2-10, 2-6 NACC) regrouped after halftime, and came out firing from the three-point line. The Warriors' Caleb Goldstein and Tyler DeYoung each hit threes, and WLC eventually took a 51-47 lead with 9:17 to play after a basket by Collin Kennedy.
However, McClain Steffens scored on a drive, and Kyle Geiger finished off a fastbreak after a Sy Staver steal on the next two possessions. Then Negus hit his third three-pointer of the game to put the Eagles back ahead 54-53. The Warriors closed to within 59-85 with three minutes to play, but Staver nailed an 18-foot jumper and one possession later, Steffens stripped Kennedy and went coast to coast for an uncontested layup to put the Eagles ahead 63-58. From there Negus, Steffens, Seefeld and Staver combined to go 8-for-8 from the free throw line to seal the win.
Seefeld went 6-for-11 from the field, matching his career-high output of 17 points that he set against Ripon College earlier this season. Negus was 3-for-5 from behind the arc to finish with 15 points. Kell scored 10 points to give the Eagles three players in double figures. Seefeld and Radisevic each had six rebounds, while Staver led the team with five assists. Edgewood College shot 51.0 percent from the field, their third game this season above the 50 percent mark.
Kennedy, the NACC's leading scorer, finished with 17 points for the Warriors which was more than six points below his season average. DeYoung had 13 points, while Goldstein and Mack Knueppel scored 11 points each. The Warriors shot 40.3 percent from the field, but the Eagles outscored the Warriors 17-7 at the free throw line.
Edgewood College has a busy three-game week coming up, but the first two contests will be at home. The Eagles host Dominican University on Tuesday night, and then entertain Concordia University Wisconsin on Thursday night at the Edgedome. Game time both nights is ay 7:00 p.m.
