MEQUON, Wis. – Concordia University Wisconsin couldn't stop Melanie Walker, but they found a way to hold back the rest of the Edgewood College women's basketball team just enough to pull out a 63-59 victory on Wednesday night. Despite Walker's career night, the Eagles' five-game winning streak came to an end and the Eagles missed a chance to grab first place in the Northern Athletics Conference North Division.
Edgewood College (9-9, 8-3 NAC) opened up a 33-26 lead early in the second half on a jump shot from Walker, but the Falcons tied the game at 40 with 13:44 left to play. From that point on, the fans at the Buuck Fieldhouse would witness seven ties and five lead changes. Brittany Zietlow gave Concordia University Wisconsin (11-5, 9-2 NAC) a 56-55 lead on a free throw with 1:38 to go. The Eagles answered when Walker ripped down a miss by Chelsey Watkins and scored a putback to give the Eagles the lead of at 57-56.
However, the Eagles couldn't keep Zietlow and the Falcons off the free throw line. The Eagles would send Zietlow to the free throw line on each of their next three possessions, where she would make five of six free throws. Meanwhile, the Eagles misfired on two possessions and committed a turnover on the other, allowing the Falcons to build a 61-57 lead. Mariah Hillscored a pair of free throws with four seconds left, but the Eagles were whistled for an intentional foul on the ensuing inbound play, ending their chance at victory.
In the first half, the Eagles trailed the Falcons 15-14 with 12 minutes to go before halftime, when they unleashed a 14-3 run over the next seven minutes to claim a 28-18 lead. Hill began the run with a pair of free throws, sunk a three-point basket and then ended it with a jump shot. Watkins and Danielle Dixon added buckets and Kelsey Collins drilled a three-pointer of her own on the streak. The Falcons would score eight of the last 10 points of the half to cut the Eagles' lead to 30-26.
Walker was the star of the night for the Eagles. The senior from Waunakee scored 21 points on 9-for-10 shooting from the field. Her 90 percent shooting night was the second best single-game shooting percentage in Edgewood College history behind only Kory Schaaf's 11-for-12 (91.7 percent) performance on January 22, 2003. Walker also grabbed a team-high six rebounds and had three steals. Hill added nine points, while Tobin and Dixon scored six points each. Edgewood College shot 37.1 percent for the game.
Zietlow led Concordia Wisconsin with 18 points, thanks in large point to a 12-for-17 effort at the free throw line. Megan Coenen and Anna Butler each added 10 points.
The challenge doesn't get any easier for Edgewood College, who faces NAC South Division leader Wisconsin Lutheran College (13-2, 8-0 NAC) on Saturday at the Todd Wehr Edgedome. The game will tip off at 2:00 p.m. and can be seen live on EdgewoodCollegeEagles.com.