MADISON – The Edgewood College Eagles men's basketball squad continued their four-game homestand Tuesday night. They hosted another Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) foe Illinois Tech at the Todd Wehr Edgedome. The Eagles (3-15, 3-7 NACC) put together a dominant second half to push past the Scarlet Hawks (9-10, 7-4) in 80-72 fashion.

HOW IT HAPPENED
- Illinois Tech led for the majority of the first half but never managed to pull away from Edgewood College. Their largest lead came at the 8:54 mark after a pair of threes put the finishing touches on an 8-1 rally for a 24-15 edge. A late three with 1:41 left pushed the advantage back to seven, but Trae Kreibich sunk a three in response off the bench to keep the Scarlet Hawks within reach at 34-30.

- Illinois Tech held a 43.33 (13-of-30) shooting percentage compared to the Eagles' 32.29 (12-of-35) from the field in the half. Edgewood College limited their errors however, holding their opponents to zero points off of turnovers.

- A pair of unanswered threes in the first 1:20 of the second half put the Scarlet Hawks at their largest advantage of the night at 40-30 and forced a timeout. The lead evaporated to a 12-2 barrage from the Eagles featuring three baskets from beyond the arc and a steal to tie it at 42 apiece at 16:32.

- Illinois Tech bounced back from the blow, putting together an 11-4 run of their own to lead 53-46 at 12:11. Edgewood College replied once again with nine unanswered points, including five from Danny Mulcare, to take a 55-53 edge past the 10-minute mark.

- The Eagles would grind down the Scarlett Hawks, taking advantage of many early Illinois Tech fouls to get into the bonus well before their foes. The two squads would sit tied 60 all at 7:44 thanks to a Cade Ellingson three and held a 66-62 edge at 5:48. At 5:05, Edgewood College would get another chance at a three thanks to a key Adam Baierl rebound off of a Drew Houtakker miss leading to Ellingson draining a three to push the Eagles to a 69-62 advantage.

- Six points in a row from Jake Schroeckenthaler put the finishing touch on a 15-4 rally at the 2:01 mark and put Edgewood College in the driver's seat with a 75-64 advantage. Sharp free throw shooting from the Eagles would dash Illinois Tech's hopes as they sank five of six in the final minutes to put away the 80-72 victory.

- Ellingson stepped into the starting lineup and proved to be a driving force in the Edgewood College victory. He finished with 18 points and three steals and was +11 while on the floor for the Eagles.



- Schroeckenthaler continued to shine with another double-double, tallying 27 points- including making nine of 10 free throws- and 16 rebounds. Baierl and Caden Nelson had 10 points each, with Nelson adding on seven assists as a cornerstone of the offense.

- Edgewood College clamped down on their errors, shooting 77.3 (17-of-22) from the free throw line and allowing only seven points off of turnovers.

- The Scarlet Hawks were impressive in defeat, with Caden Gigstad earning 23 points and three steals. Garrison Carter had 17 points, while Otis Reale and Desmond Price rounded out the double-digit visitors. Otis had 16 points and eight assists, while Price was shy of a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The 18 points and five threes were both season highs for Ellingson.

- Schroeckenthaler's double-double was his 10th of the season.

- The Eagles have now won back-to-back games for the first time this season. They now lead the series against Illinois Tech 6-4 since 1992-93 after the two teams split the season series.

- The victory was the second for Edgewood College by an 80-72 final this season, the first coming against WLC on December 3, 2022.

UP NEXT
The Eagles look to turn their pair of wins into a streak as they conclude their four-game homestand at the Edgedome on Saturday. They host the MSOE Raiders with first tip scheduled for 2:00 p.m. The Raiders hold a 54-26 lead in the series and won 71-64 earlier this year in Milwaukee, Wis.