MADISON – The Edgewood College Eagles men's basketball team wrapped up their four-game homestand at the Todd Wehr Edgedome on a snowy Saturday afternoon. They hosted Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) foe MSOE Raiders for a rematch of a road loss earlier this year. The Eagles (4-15, 4-7) turned their back-to-back wins into a streak with a 75-68 victory over the Raiders (9-10, 5-7).

HOW IT HAPPENED
- MSOE struck first with a quick five points in the early minutes of the first half. The game went on without interruptions for substitutions until the 13:15 mark in a lightning fast first half while Edgewood College capped an 6-3 run to take a slim 11-10 lead at 13:10.

- The Raiders would grab the lead back and keep the Eagles at arm's length for most of the remaining minutes. Five unanswered from Edgewood College would tie it at 6:17, but a 7-0 response capped at 3:46 would give MSOE momentum and a 28-21 lead.

- The last 3:46 would be dominated by the Eagles. Five points in 21 seconds from Adam Baierl would help fuel a 12-4 finish to the half, punctuated by Caden Nelson turning a defensive rebound with six seconds left into a Jake Schroeckenthaler layup to give Edgewood College their first lead since the 13:10 mark.

- The Eagles hung tough in the first half even with a 30.77 (4-of-13) shooting percentage beyond the arc. The Raiders shot 60 (3-of-5) from three-point land. Both teams were relatively even from the floor, with Edgewood College shooting 46.67 (14-of-30) percent while MSOE hit 43.75 (14-of-32) percent of their shots.

- The Raiders bounced back with the first four points of the second frame, but back-to-back threes by Cade Ellingson featuring a key block from Drew Houtakker on defense would swing the game back 39-36 in the Eagles' favor at the 17:31 mark. MSOE would never hold the lead again as it was Edgewood College's turn to hold them off. A 16-6 margin in the next six minutes would build the Eagles' advantage to 55-42, their largest of the afternoon.

- The Raiders would continue to push however as a 13-4 rally would close them within 59-55 with 4:06 remaining. A Trey Traeder three would cut their momentum at 3:44 as time started to run out for MSOE. The Raiders would hang around within striking distance until the :55 second mark, as a Ellingson three-pointer would end up being the dagger in the 75-69 victory.



- Nelson was the everyman for Edgewood College, falling just short of a triple-double with nine points, nine assists, and 11 rebounds with the assists and rebounds team-highs. He also nabbed two steals.

- Schroeckenthaler and Ellingson continued to be a key offensive tandem for the Eagles, both scoring 19 points. Schroeckenthaler made hay in the paint and the free throw line while adding on nine rebounds, while Ellingson sank five of nine three-point attempts.

- The Dopiraks were the core of the MSOE attack, each tallying 14 points. Steven Dillard added on 13 points and seven rebounds.

- Edgewood College continued to minimize their mistakes that had cost them early in the year, turning over the ball only seven times to the Raiders 10 and allowing only six points off of turnovers. They also made 70.6 (12-of-17) of their free throws.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The 11 rebounds were a season high for Nelson. Ellingson's 19 points were also his best on the year.

- The Eagles have now won three straight since losing 10 in a row, including wins against two teams they lost to earlier in the season.

- The victory cut into MSOE's series lead 54-27. The home team has won the last two matchups in the series.

UP NEXT
Edgewood College hits the road Tuesday evening to wrap up January. They travel to River Forest, Ill. to face Dominican in another NACC battle with first tip scheduled for 7:00 p.m. The Eagles hold a 27-8 lead in the series over the Stars since 1987-88 and have won five in a row