MADISON, Wis. – The Edgewood College women's basketball team garnered its first-ever Lake Michigan Conference Tournament Championship on Saturday with a 72-64 win over Lakeland College at the Todd Wehr Edgedome. The Eagles (21-7), who were the top seed in the LMC tourney, earned the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championships by knocking off No. 2 Lakeland (18-10). It marks the first time in school history that the women's program has advanced to the national tournament.
The Eagles trailed Lakeland throughout much of the first half, but a basket by Edgewood’s Nickie Updike (Monticello, Wis.) with eight seconds remaining in the half evened the score at 36-36 going into halftime. Edgewood opened the second period with a 9-1 run to race out to a 45-37 lead, and a jumper by Tarah Nytes (Waukesha, Wis.) midway through the half increased the margin to 10 points, 51-41, to force a timeout by the Muskies.
On four occasions Lakeland was able to cut the Eagle lead to two points, the latest on a lay up by Renee Steinert with 3:27 left to play. However, Edgewood responded with seven straight points to diminish any hopes the Muskies had of a comeback.
Updike led Edgewood in scoring with 18 points on 8-of-17 shooting from the field and Nytes went 7-of-9 for 14 points. Jessica Abel (Menasha, Wis.) and Katie Hensgen (Waunakee, Wis.) each pitched in 13 points. Hensgen was two assists shy of a triple-double, finishing with eight assists to go along with a game-high 11 rebounds.
Steinert, the LMC’s preseason Player of the Year, led the Muskies with a game-high 19 points. Sara Langenhorst added 13 points, while Beth Porter and Brenda Paulson scored 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Edgewood pounded the Muskies on the boards, winning the rebounding battle 41-25. The Eagles shot 46.7 percent from the field, while Lakeland shot 45.7 percent.
Edgewood, which has now won 12 straight games, will carry one of the nation’s longest current winning streaks into the first round of the NCAA tournament. Regional pairings will be announced late Sunday evening. In addition, the Edgewood College men’s basketball team (17-9) won its fourth LMC tournament title and earned its second NCAA berth earlier in the day with a 79-71 win over Lakeland College at the Edgedome. It is only the second time in league history that two teams from the same school advance to the NCAA championships in the same season. Lakeland College accomplished the feat in 2004.
