MADISON, Wis. – The Edgewood College men's basketball team came into Monday night's contest with an 8-1 record in home season openers, but that did not frighten fourth-ranked UW-Stevens Point. The Eagles held with the Pointers for the first 12 minutes of the game, but UW-Stevens Point shot 73.8 percent from the floor to pull away and hand Edgewood College an 80-45 loss.
Despite starting in a 5-0 hole, Dylan Rusch and Brett Meinecke cashed in a pair of three-pointers to propel Edgewood College (0-1) to their first lead of the game at 8-7. After trading baskets, Rusch added another triple to hand the Eagles their largest lead of the night 16-12. UW-Stevens Point (2-0) battled back, however, as Tyler Tillema and Trevor Hass combined for six points to give the Pointers a three-point advantage at 22-19. From there, the Eagles could not seem to land a score and UW-Stevens Point finished the half on an 18-3 run for an 18-point halftime lead.
After the break, the Pointers continued their hot shooting and connected on 71.4 percent of their baskets while holding Edgewood College to just 25.0. UW-Stevens Point used a 50-16 points in the paint advantage to extend their lead and the Eagles could never climb back, eventually falling 80-45.
Despite the loss, Edgewood College showed many sparks on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court. The Eagles pulled down 16 offensive rebounds while holding the Pointers to just one.
Rusch led the Eagles with 10 points while Emilio Lopez and Meinecke chipped in nine and eight, respectively. Justin Williams snagged six boards, including four offensive, while Meinecke added five.
UW-Stevens Point fired an impressive 73.8 percent from the field and was 5-for-8 (62.5 percent) from beyond the arc. Edgewood College converted just 27.3 percent of their baskets and were 8-for-17 (47.1 percent) from the charity stripe.
The Eagles will continue their four-game home stand this weekend as Edgewood College welcomes Fontbonne University and Westminster College to Madison. Live stats and live video will be provided with links on EdgewoodCollegeEagles.com.