MADISON – The Edgewood College Eagles men's basketball squad continued their 2022-23 campaign Tuesday evening. They played host to the Aurora Spartans in another Northern Athletic Collegiate Conference (NACC) battle at the Todd Wehr Edgedome. The Spartans (11-6, 6-4 NACC) took a seven-point lead into the locker room, but the Eagles (1-15, 1-8) ended up just a last-second jumper away from victory in a 72-71 defeat.

HOW IT HAPPENED
- Edgewood College started the game with a 7-0 run before Aurora replied with six answered of their own. A pair of jumpers would leave the Eagles up 11-6 at the 15:07 mark. After the Spartans tied it up at 11-all, Edgewood College put together an 8-2 rally to hold onto momentum at 9:22.

- After having their lead cut to two, the Eagles rattled off seven unanswered in all facets of the game to take their largest lead of the night at 26-17.  The last 7:16 would be all Aurora, however, as they finished out the half with a 26-10 advantage over Edgewood College to send the Eagles to the locker room down 43-36.

- The Spartans bench and points off of turnovers helped fuel their end of half surge. They had a 14-4 advantage in points off of turnovers while winning the bench battle 13-0.

- Aurora seemed to have the game under lock and key through the opening stages of the second half. The Eagles would cut the Spartan lead down to 48-43 in the low-scoring second half at the 11:30 mark, but Aurora answered with 10-3 run. They would hold their largest lead of the night with 13 points at 8:11 with a 61-48 advantage.

- Edgewood College would hang tough, however, and showed signs of life with Cade Ellingson three into a Jake Schroeckenthaler jumper and one to close within 67-62 with 1:39 left to play. The Spartans would take a seven-point advantage at :38 to seemingly put the game away, but Ellingson struck again with a three-pointer and a foul at :32 to keep the Eagles alive. Free throws would prevent Edgewood College from overtaking Aurora, but a three-pointer by Danny Mulcare with just two ticks on the clock coupled with the Spartans stepping out on the ensuing inbounds gave the Eagles time for one last gasp that just missed.

- Schroeckenthaler was a force, tallying a 19-point, 17-rebound double-double with three blocks. Adam Baierl tacked on 14 points and five rebounds, while Caden Nelson had 12 points and a team-high three steals. 

- Justin Wilson was effective for the Spartans with a game-high 21 points, while Joevonn McCottry tallied 15 points and four steals. Nathan Yockey added on 13 points for Aurora.

- While Edgewood College's bench came alive in the second half, turnovers were still a problem as the Spartans won the points off of turnovers battle 23-7 while the Eagles recorded 20 turnovers.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Schroekenthaler recorded season-highs in rebounds (17) and free throws made (nine). His double-double was his eighth of the season.

- Schroeckenthaler broke the 1000 point mark as an Eagle against Benedictine on January 3 and the achievement was celebrated before tipoff.

- Aurora now holds a 21-6 series lead since the 2006-07 season, including eight in a row.

UP NEXT
Edgewood College continues their four-game homestand as they play at the Edgedome once more. They host another NACC foe in Lakeland with first tip scheduled for 2:00 p.m. The Eagles lead the Muskies 43-30 in the series since 1988-89, but lost the 2021-22 version of the matchup.