ROCKFORD, Ill. – The Edgewood College Eagles men's basketball looked to carry their momentum from their Northern Athletic Collegiate Conference (NACC) start into a road matchup Wednesday night. They faced the Rockford Regents down south. A strong first half from the Regents (6-2, 2-1 NACC) proved to be the difference against the Eagles (2-5, 2-1) as they won 68-61.

HOW IT HAPPENED
- The first nine minutes of play saw the squads trading one possession leads back and forth, but Rockford struck first. Starting at 11:32 down 11-10, the Regents roared to life with a 14-2 rally sparked by back-to-back threes as the hosts left Edgewood College looking for answers. Rockford would lead by as much as 14 in the frame as they went into half up 34-23.
 
- The Regents' bench proved to be a key difference-maker in the first 20 minutes, outscoring the Eagles 10-2.
 
- Another pair of back-to-back threes put Rockford ahead 40-25 a minute and a half into the second frame for their largest lead of the night. The Regents' lead would mostly remain in the double-digits until the final five minutes of play.
 
- Drew Houtakker helped spark a 6-0 rally with a layup followed by a steal to close within 64-59 with 2:02 remaining. It proved to not be enough, with Rockford making their free throws while Edgewood College continued to struggle from beyond the arc.
 
- The Eagles shot 9.7 (2-of-23) percent from three-point land, while the Regents hit 5-of-19 for a 26.3 percentage.
 
- Edgewood College made the most of their offensive rebounds, outscoring Rockford 14-to-2 on second chance points.
 
- Houtakker continued his strong stretch of play with 18 points and nine rebounds.
 
- Luke Cervelli played impactful minutes with 10 points and seven rebounds, including four offensive.
 
- Cade Ellingson tallied nine points and four assists, while AC Strok also scored nine.
 
- Kevin Diemer earned the lone double-double from either squad with 11 points and 13 rebounds.
 
- Noody Lacey put home 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the floor, while Micah Swanson recorded 13 points and nine rebounds.
 
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Strok's nine points were a career high for the freshman as he saw key minutes off the bench.
 
- The Regents have won back-to-back meetings against the Eagles, though Edgewood College holds a 22-15 lead in the all-time series.
 
UP NEXT
The Eagles will return to the Todd Wehr Edgedome for more conference action Saturday. They will host the Concordia Chicago Cougars with first tip scheduled for 1:00 p.m. Edgewood College possesses a 23-9 edge in matchups against the Cougars, but Concordia Chicago has won three games in a row.