MADISON, Wis. – Three Edgewood College Men's Basketball players posted double-doubles as the Eagles opened the NACC Tournament with a 92-86 win over Rockford University on Saturday afternoon.
Jake Schroeckenthaler led the way with 35 points, while
Eli Hartjes and
Avery Lyons also posted double-doubles in the league tournament victory.
EAGLES 92, REGENTS 86
- The win moves the Eagles into the NACC Quarterfinals where they will take on top-seeded Concordia University Chicago on Tuesday night.
- The eighth-seeded Eagles (11-13) and ninth-seeded Regents (15-9) put on a great game on Saturday, which was close throughout. Edgewood College held a 42-41 lead at halftime after a three-quarters court shot by Rockford's Charles Burnell beat the buzzer before the break. Schroeckenthaler had 17 of his game-high 35 in the opening half on 8-of-10 shooting.
- Edgewood College appeared to pull away in the second half as Hartjes converted a layup through contact and finished off the 3-point play, bringing the lead to 80-66 with 5:02 remaining. Still, Rockford got within five points down the stretch, but the Eagles held off any Regents rally and finished the game off when
Avery Lyons found Schroeckenthaler for a game-clinching layup with 23 seconds left. Lyons delivered a career-best 14 assists in the win.
- Schroeckenthaler was unstoppable inside, scoring 35 points on 15-of-22 shooting, while adding 12 rebounds. Lyons added 10 points to go along with his 14 assists and Hartjes scored 24 points, 16 after halftime, and secured 10 rebounds to give the Eagles three players with double-doubles.
Adam Baierl added 12 points, while
Dawson Hughes chipped in eight off the bench.
- The Eagles shared the ball extremely well with 26 assists on 31 makes. Lyons had the 14 helpers, while
Caden Nelson added four and Baierl three.
- Rockford was led by TJ Lacey, who scored 19 points and pulled down 12 rebounds. Burnell (17), Jaden Bell (15), and DJ Bonds (11) all finished in double figures for the Regents.
- The Eagles shot 56.4 percent (31-for-55) from the floor for the game, including 65.4 percent (17-for-26) in the second half. Edgewood College also got to the line on Saturday, attempting 37 free throws, while making 25, a 67.6 percent clip. Rockford, meanwhile, finished with just 10 free throw attempts (6-for-10) and the Regents shot 40.5 percent (34-for-84) from the floor.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- This marks the second-straight season the Eagles have won a tournament game at home. Last season, Schroeckenthaler beat the buzzer in an 83-81 win over Concordia University Wisconsin.
UP NEXT
- The Eagles will visit top-seeded Concordia University Chicago on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. from Geiseman Gymnasium in River Forest, Illinois. The two haven't met since the NACC opener for the Eagles back on December 1, 2021, an 82-58 win for CUC.
