WAVERLY, Iowa – The Edgewood College Men's Basketball team earned their second victory of the year against Wartburg College in thrilling fashion on Sunday. Will Schwartz connected on his third and most important three-pointer of the night with just ten seconds remaining to give the Eagles the 71-70 victory and help them remain undefeated. Schwartz and Jake Graf finished with career-best performances, while Jake Negus finished with a game-high 22 points for the Eagles.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Edgewood College (2-0) came out of the locker room at halftime tied with Wartburg College (0-1) at 34 and picked up their offensive power. The Eagles made 12-of-23 from the floor in the second half, good for 52.17% and connected on 10-of-14 from the charity stripe in the second half. The Eagles also took their biggest lead of the game at five points off back-to-back scores from Jake Graf with 12:26 left on the clock.
- With just under ten minutes left in the contest, the Knights took the lead off an 11-4 run and it looked like they might hold on for the victory. With seconds remaining Schwartz stepped up and buried the game-winner from beyond the arc, allowing the Eagles to escape with the 71-70 win.
- The first half was a back-and-forth affair, much like the second half. The Knights took their largest lead of the contest early, just four minutes in they lead by five points. The Eagles kept the Knights in close range from then on, trading the lead six times through the rest of the first period. Negus seemed unstoppable in the first-half, scoring 16 of his 22 total points through the first 20 minutes of action.
- Negus led the Eagles offense, scoring 22 points and connecting on 9-of-12 from the charity stripe. Graf scored a career-high 16 points (6-of-9), knocking down two from beyond the arc and adding four rebounds. Schwartz scored a career-best 13 points (5-of-7), adding 3-of-4 shooting from long and pulling down four rebounds. Ryan Buss led the Eagles in boards with six.
- Edgewood College saw 32 of their 71 points come off the bench. The Eagles saw a balanced attack from the floor, scoring 36 points in the paint and connecting on 17-25 from the charity stripe.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The Eagles victory lifts them to 2-0 on the season. Edgewood College now owns their best start to a season since 2011-12, a season in which the Eagles were conference champions, conference tournament champions, and made a second-round appearance in the NCAA National Tournament.
THE OPPOSITION
- The Knights offense was led by double-digit scoring from Mitch Gehling (12), Drew Olson (11), and Cade Daugherty (10). Ryan Stulken pulled down a game-high eight boards.
- Wartburg saw 31 of their 70 points come off the bench.
UP NEXT
- Edgewood College is set to play at the University of Dubuque on January 10 at 4:30 p.m.
