RIVER FOREST, Ill. – So far this season, it seemed as if the Edgewood College men's basketball team played one half far better than the other. On Saturday afternoon, the Eagles pulled down a season-high 41 rebounds and were able to piece two solid halves together to oust Dominican University 75-63.
Joe Klocek found his groove early as he scored six points in the first three and a half minutes, giving Edgewood College(5-15, 4-7 NAC) a 9-4 lead. Dominican fought back to grab a 10-9 advantage but consecutive layups by Dylan Rusch and Brett Meinecke tilted the favor back to Edgewood College. With 10:21 remaining, the Stars (9-11, 7-5 NAC) built a four point lead but it was quickly erased by a Tal Diekvoss triple and a layup by Justin Williams. Again Dominican charged out in front, but Meinecke converted an and-one and another Diekvoss three-pointer gave Edgewood College a one-point lead with 45 seconds remaining. After a pair of free throws by the Stars, the Eagles used their last possession wisely and Diekvoss found Klocek who converted a layup to give Edgewood College a 31-30 lead heading into the locker room.
After shooting 40.6 percent in the first half, the Eagles got off to an even hotter start after the break with a 14-4 run. Dominican was able to trim that lead to eight but a Diekvoss three-pointer and a layup by Williams quickly built Edgewood College's cushion to 13 with 12:39 left in the game. Later in the half, with the Eagles lead still in double digits, the Stars threatened to make a comeback. Dominican hit a three-point basket and a jumper to cut the deficit to five, but Williams was there again with a layup. After another basket by the Stars, Klocek and Williams hit back to back buckets, diminishing a chance at Dominican's comeback. Now leading by 10 with 1:47 to play, the only chance the Stars had to get closer was by fouling, but the Eagles hit their late free-throws, sealing the victory and snapping a three-game losing streak.
Edgewood College lit up the floor after the break, shooting 51.7 percent. After hitting just two free throws in the first half, the Eagles were 11-for-17 from the charity stripe in the second.
Klocek notched his second double-double of the season in a big way, snagging a career-high 17 rebounds. Klocek's impressive 17 boards, which ranks tied for seventh all-time in Eagle history, marked the most by an Edgewood College player since Charlie Averkamp (2004-08) pulled down 17 against Marian on February 7, 2006. Klocek also poured in 14 points.
Coming off the bench, Williams had season-highs in both points and rebounds with 18 and 9, respectively. Diekvoss also provided a spark with 11 points including shooting 3-for-6 from beyond the arc.
Edgewood College will continue their road trip as they head to Mequon next Tuesday to face Concordia Wisconsin. Live video and live stats will be provided with links available at EdgewoodCollegeEagles.com.