CHICAGO, Ill. – Conference road action brought in 2024 for the Edgewood College Eagles men's basketball squad Wednesday evening. They headed south to face Northern Athletic Collegiate Conference (NACC) rival Illinois Tech. The Eagles (6-7, 5-2 NACC) found themselves behind in the first half, but a 20-of-29 shooting performance in the second half fueled an 85-70 victory over the Scarlet Hawks (3-10, 2-4).
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The teams exchanged similar blows in the opening five minutes. Illinois Tech kicked things off with an 8-2 start, before Edgewood College clawed back with an 8-4 reply to sit behind 12-10 at 15:05. The Scarlet Hawk advantage proved to be stubborn, the hosts building up to an 31-22 edge at the 6:44 mark. A 10-2 barrage over the next 3:45 of play would all but erase the edge and helped the Eagles keep pace into the locker room down just 38-36.
- Edgewood College attacked the paint in the first five minutes of the second frame, six unanswered lifting them to their first lead of the night 51-48 at 14:49. The Eagles would nurse mostly single possession leads, but Illinois Tech would battle back to a 63-63 tie with 7:16 remaining.
- Edgewood College hit the jets and never looked back. They outscored the Scarlet Hawks 22-7 in the final minutes of play, including making eight in a row from the field and three-point land. They turned a dead heat into a decisive victory as they earned their third win in their last four conference matches.
- The Eagles were dynamic on offense in the second half, hitting 68.97 (20-of-29) percent of their shots from the field and 66.67 (6-of-9) from beyond the arc.
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Drew Houtakker continued his impressive season with 25 points with 12-of-16 shooting from the field.
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Cade Ellingson tallied 24 points and a pair of steals for the evening.
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Trey Traeder rounded out the double-digit Edgewood College scorers with 17 points
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Dawson Hughes had a strong performance, tying the team high with six rebounds and recording nine assists.
- Dario Biaggi led Illinois Tech with 20 points. Andrew Veon added on 15 points and six rebounds.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The 35 field goals made were a season high for the Eagles.
- Ellingson's 24 points and Hughes' nine assists were new high watermarks in their careers, while Houtakker's 25 points tied his best.
- Edgewood College leads the all-time series 7-4 over the Scarlet Hawks.
UP NEXT
The Eagles continue their NACC road swing Saturday. They head to Fond du Lac, Wis. to take on the Marian Sabres. Edgewood College has won back-to-back outings against the Sabres, including a 67-54 victory earlier this season at the Todd Wehr Edgedome.
