Feb 23, 2011
MADISON, Wis. - Postseason basketball brings postseason intensity and the fans at the Todd Wehr Edgedome got their first taste of it this year on Wednesday night. The Edgewood College men's basketball team scored 50 points in the second half and overcame an eight-point second half deficit to advance through their Northern Athletics Conference Tournament quarterfinal with an 84-72 victory over Lakeland College.
Edgewood College (17-9) will now play in the conference tournament semifinals for the first time since 2007. With the victory, the fourth-seeded Eagles will advance to play top-seeded Concordia University Wisconsin on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. at the Buuck Fieldhouse in Mequon.
Edgewood College junior Kent Faurote scored eight of the Eagles first 10 points and fellow junior Ben Wisniewski nailed a three-point basket for a quick 13-5 Eagle lead. Lakeland College (16-10) jumped right back into the game with an 11-2 run for the first of 10 lead changes in the game to go with 10 ties.
Wisniewski tied the game at 25 with five minutes to go in the first half, picking up a loose ball from teammate Cashton Craig and drilling a three-point basket as the shot clock expired. Craig followed with a three-pointer of his own, but Lakeland's Justin Ward converted a three-point play and Jack Ridgway sunk a three-point basket to help the Muskies to a slim 35-34 halftime lead. Lakeland College shot 52 percent in the first half compared to just 41 percent for the Eagles.
The narrow margin continued into the second half, until fifth-seeded Lakeland College surged ahead. The Muskies posted a 9-0 run on the back of five points from Josh Regal to take a 55-47 lead and force an Edgewood College timeout with 11:13 left to play. However, Craig hit a three-point basket and senior Jeff Barczak scored a three-point play following a wild scramble for a loose ball and the Eagles were back in business. Barczak and sophomore Tony Cates combined to score seven straight points for the Eagles in that stretch.
Ward scored a layup with eight minutes to go to give the Muskies a 63-59 lead, but that would be the last field goal Lakeland College would score for seven full minutes. Edgewood College clamped down on defense and Lakeland College, which was shooting 52.4 percent in the game up until that point, would miss their next 11 consecutive shots from the field. In the meantime, Edgewood College went 7-for-10 during a decisive 22-5 run.
Derek Nkemnji started the flurry with short bank shot and Barczak scored three field goals, but the exclamation point was provided by Faurote. With Edgewood College owning all the momentum, Wisniewski picked up a long rebound on the left sideline and found Faurote streaking down the middle of the court. Faurote caught the ball in stride and threw down a ferocious one-handed dunk to put the Eagles ahead 79-68 with 1:09 left to play.
By the time Lakeland College managed another field goal on a layup by Regal with 54 seconds left, it was too late. Craig went to the free throw line five times in the final minute and made five free throws to seal the Eagles' first postseason victory since the 2007 season.
Faurote finished with a game-high 25 points to pull himself within 18 points of the 1,000-point milestone. Craig scored 18 points in his postseason debut for the Eagles, while Barczak contributed 17 points off the bench. Cates notched his first career double-double with 10 points and a season-high 10 rebounds. The unsung hero might have been Nkemnji who scored only six points, but dished out eight assists and tied Cates for game-high honors with 10 rebounds. Edgewood College shot 49.2 percent from the field, but a staggering 61.5 percent (8-for-13) from the free throw line. The Eagles dominated the Muskies on the glass 44-27.
Lakeland College was led by Regal who scored 15 points and handed out a team-high five assists. Ward and Ridgway scored 14 points apiece. Tal Diekvoss grabbed five rebounds to lead Lakeland College on the glass. The Muskies committed just eight turnovers, but were done in, in part, by 32.4 percent (11-for-34) shooting in the second half.
Friday's opponent, Concordia University Wisconsin (23-3), is currently ranked first in the Midwest Region by the NCAA regional advisory committee and 21st in the country by D3Hoops.com. The Falcons have won 18 straight games over NAC opponents, including a pair of victories over Edgewood College. Friday's game will begin at 7:00 p.m. and will have a live audio broadcast provided by Concordia University Wisconsin. Links for the broadcast can be found at EdgewoodCollegeEagles.com.
Edgewood College (17-9) will now play in the conference tournament semifinals for the first time since 2007. With the victory, the fourth-seeded Eagles will advance to play top-seeded Concordia University Wisconsin on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. at the Buuck Fieldhouse in Mequon.
Edgewood College junior Kent Faurote scored eight of the Eagles first 10 points and fellow junior Ben Wisniewski nailed a three-point basket for a quick 13-5 Eagle lead. Lakeland College (16-10) jumped right back into the game with an 11-2 run for the first of 10 lead changes in the game to go with 10 ties.
Wisniewski tied the game at 25 with five minutes to go in the first half, picking up a loose ball from teammate Cashton Craig and drilling a three-point basket as the shot clock expired. Craig followed with a three-pointer of his own, but Lakeland's Justin Ward converted a three-point play and Jack Ridgway sunk a three-point basket to help the Muskies to a slim 35-34 halftime lead. Lakeland College shot 52 percent in the first half compared to just 41 percent for the Eagles.
The narrow margin continued into the second half, until fifth-seeded Lakeland College surged ahead. The Muskies posted a 9-0 run on the back of five points from Josh Regal to take a 55-47 lead and force an Edgewood College timeout with 11:13 left to play. However, Craig hit a three-point basket and senior Jeff Barczak scored a three-point play following a wild scramble for a loose ball and the Eagles were back in business. Barczak and sophomore Tony Cates combined to score seven straight points for the Eagles in that stretch.
Ward scored a layup with eight minutes to go to give the Muskies a 63-59 lead, but that would be the last field goal Lakeland College would score for seven full minutes. Edgewood College clamped down on defense and Lakeland College, which was shooting 52.4 percent in the game up until that point, would miss their next 11 consecutive shots from the field. In the meantime, Edgewood College went 7-for-10 during a decisive 22-5 run.
Derek Nkemnji started the flurry with short bank shot and Barczak scored three field goals, but the exclamation point was provided by Faurote. With Edgewood College owning all the momentum, Wisniewski picked up a long rebound on the left sideline and found Faurote streaking down the middle of the court. Faurote caught the ball in stride and threw down a ferocious one-handed dunk to put the Eagles ahead 79-68 with 1:09 left to play.
By the time Lakeland College managed another field goal on a layup by Regal with 54 seconds left, it was too late. Craig went to the free throw line five times in the final minute and made five free throws to seal the Eagles' first postseason victory since the 2007 season.
Faurote finished with a game-high 25 points to pull himself within 18 points of the 1,000-point milestone. Craig scored 18 points in his postseason debut for the Eagles, while Barczak contributed 17 points off the bench. Cates notched his first career double-double with 10 points and a season-high 10 rebounds. The unsung hero might have been Nkemnji who scored only six points, but dished out eight assists and tied Cates for game-high honors with 10 rebounds. Edgewood College shot 49.2 percent from the field, but a staggering 61.5 percent (8-for-13) from the free throw line. The Eagles dominated the Muskies on the glass 44-27.
Lakeland College was led by Regal who scored 15 points and handed out a team-high five assists. Ward and Ridgway scored 14 points apiece. Tal Diekvoss grabbed five rebounds to lead Lakeland College on the glass. The Muskies committed just eight turnovers, but were done in, in part, by 32.4 percent (11-for-34) shooting in the second half.
Friday's opponent, Concordia University Wisconsin (23-3), is currently ranked first in the Midwest Region by the NCAA regional advisory committee and 21st in the country by D3Hoops.com. The Falcons have won 18 straight games over NAC opponents, including a pair of victories over Edgewood College. Friday's game will begin at 7:00 p.m. and will have a live audio broadcast provided by Concordia University Wisconsin. Links for the broadcast can be found at EdgewoodCollegeEagles.com.