Alison Tobin made two free throws with 7.8 seconds left to break a tie and Edgewood College defeated Lakeland College 66-64 Tuesday night in a Northern Athletics Conference game at Woltzen Gymnasium.
The Muskies led by three with 1:29 to play but were unable to put it away and dropped to 7-9 overall and 5-4 in the NAC. Edgewood got an important win in conference play and improved to 7-8 overall and 6-2 in the NAC.
Tobin scored the final eight points of the game for Edgewood, including two free throws with 32 seconds left to give the Eagles a 64-63 lead. The Muskies were fouled shortly after the inbounds play, though, and Taylor Jandrin (Jr.-Forestville, Wis.) hit the first free throw but missed the second to leave the game tied.
Edgewood held the ball for a final shot and Chelsey Watkins missed a jumper with 10 seconds to play, but Tobin got the rebound and was fouled. She made both free throws, and the Muskies' Dana Henrichs (Sr.-Fall Creek, Wis.) missed a three-pointer off the glass and rim at the buzzer.
Lakeland led much of the first half and was ahead by as many as 10 points, leading 30-20 after a three-pointer by Henrichs with 3:57 left in the half. The Muskies led 30-25 at halftime and again pushed the lead to seven points several times early in the second half.
Edgewood chipped away and took its first lead since 4-2 when Watkins made a steal and layup to make it 46-45 with 11:01 to play. The Eagles eventually led by as many as five, but Lakeland retook the lead on a three by Natalie Neitzel (Fr.-Theresa, Wis.), part of an 8-0 run capped by a jumper by Leah Eisner (Jr.-Stevens Point, Wis.) to make it 57-54 with 4:17 to play.
Eisner finished with 15 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Muskies, while Becky Mayo (Sr.-Gladstone, Mich.) added 13 points and eight rebounds and Henrichs and Jandrin both had 12 points each. Lakeland outshot Edgewood, making 26 of 58 shots (44.8%) to the Eagles converting 23 of 62 (37.1%), but the Muskies were out-rebounded 43-35 and also committed 22 turnovers. Lakeland also made just 5-of-27 from three-point range (18.5%).
Tobin finished with 20 points and 14 rebounds for Edgewood. The game also marked the return of former Casey (Thousand) Plucinski, a 2004 graduate of Lakeland and former Muskie women's basketball player.
Lakeland takes to the road Saturday when it faces Concordia University Chicago at 2 p.m. in River Forest, part of a women's/men's doubleheader in NAC play.