MADISON, Wis. – The Edgewood College men's basketball team needed a fresh start in the new year and that was exactly what they got on Saturday night. The Eagles hit 46.9 percent of their shots from the field and used a 14-point halftime lead to propel past Concordia University Chicago 69-57, snapping their six-game losing streak.

Although Edgewood College (3-11, 2-3 NAC) missed their first two shots of the night, the Eagles connected on three consecutive trips to build a 7-6 lead. Five minutes later, with the score tied at 15, Tal Diekvoss came off the bench and found his shooting stroke. The sophomore cashed in back-to-back triples to give Edgewood College a 21-15 lead with just over 12 minutes to play. The Cougars (1-11, 1-5 NAC) responded with a three-pointer of their own before Trevor Neale nailed a jumper and two free throws to extend the Eagles lead to 27-18. After a pair of Cougar buckets cut Edgewood College's lead to five, Diekvoss hit two more three-pointers, fueling a 12-2 run that put the Eagles on top 40-24. Two Concordia Chicago baskets sandwiched a couple of free throws by Jake Heuer as the Eagles headed into the locker room with a 42-28 lead.

Edgewood College's shooting cooled down after the break and the Cougars opened the half on a 13-5 run to cut their deficit to six. The Eagles were determined to not let this game slip through their fingers as Brett Meinecke and Michael Jausek combined to hit three tough shots in the paint, pushing Edgewood College's lead back to double-digits. Concordia Chicago pressured the Eagles with strong defense and again went on a run, cutting the deficit to four. Again Edgewood College responded quickly with four straight possessions that resulted in points which extended their lead out of the reach of the Cougars.

Deikvoss led the Eagles with a career-high 16 points, including 15 from beyond the arc. The Beaver Dam native was 5-for-7 from downtown including 4-for-4 in the first half. Meinecke and Justin Williams also finished in double figures with 15 and 11, respectively.

Collectively, the Eagles hit 42.9 percent (9-for-21) of their shots from three-point range in the win. Edgewood College was also 12-for-15 from the charity stripe, which helped seal the victory.

Edgewood College will look to stay hot as they face Marian University on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. Live stats and live video will be available for this away game. Fans can follow the action, finding the links on EdgewoodCollegeEagles.com.