Jan 04, 2011
MADISON, Wis. - After shooting brilliantly in their last two games, the Edgewood College men's basketball team lost their touch in the first half against Viterbo University. The Eagles righted the ship with a 47-point outburst in the second half, but it wasn't enough to overcome the V-Hawks, who escaped the Todd Wehr Edgedome with a 67-64 victory in the first meeting between the two schools since 1990.
The Eagles trailed 36-17 at halftime to Viterbo University (2-14), but opened the second half with a stunning 26-6 run and grabbed the lead at 43-42 with just under nine minutes to play. The second half streak was jump started by Eagle guards Ben Wisniewski and Derek Nkemnji. The junior pair combined to score the Eagles first nine points of the half. Trailing 38-31, senior Jeff Barczak scored three straight buckets in the paint to keep the Eagles' momentum. Eventually, it was Nkemnji and Wisniewski who put the Eagles in front for the first time in the game. First it was Nkemnji with a jumper in the paint, followed by a long three-point basket from Wisniewski.
However, Viterbo's Alex Diciaula had the answer for the V-Hawks. Diciaula nailed a three-pointer on the other end of court and Ryan Ambrose followed with a three-point play to put Viterbo back in front 48-43. Later, Matt Turba would nail a three-pointer to push the V-Hawks advantage to 53-46. Viterbo was red-hot from the arc, shooting 66.7 percent (8-for-12) for long range on the night.
Edgewood College (7-5) trailed by seven with 23 seconds to play, but still managed to be in position for a final attempt at a game-tying three-point shot. Wisniewski hit his fourth three-point basket of the night to cut the V-Hawks lead to 66-64 with less than seconds to play. The Eagles fouled with 5.4 seconds on the clock, but Viterbo's Cole Lewis made just one of two free throws. After a timeout, the Eagles inbounded to Barczak at half court, but Viterbo's Izac Sheforgen sealed the game by poking the ball away from Barczak before the Eagles could get a shot off.
Edgewood College ended up shooting 61.9 percent (13-for-21) in the second half, which was a remarkable turnaround from the first half. The Eagles shot just 26.1 percent (6-for-23) in the opening 20 minutes. Viterbo used a 12-0 run to open up a 31-15 lead with five minutes to play in the half, and eventually secured their largest lead of the game at 36-17 at the break. Viterbo shot 53.8 percent (14-for-26) in the first half and 49 percent (24-for-49) for the game.
The Eagles were led by Wisniewski who moved within three points of 1,000 for his career, by scoring 23 against the V-Hawks. Besides his four three-point baskets he also went 9-for-9 from the free throw line and has 997 career points heading into his next game. Cashton Craig and Nkemnji chipped in 10 points apiece with Nkemnji, the Northern Athletics Conference leader in field goal percentage, going 4-for-4 from the floor. Barczak finished with nine points, all in the second half, while Kent Faurote grabbed a game-high seven rebounds. Craig led the team with four assists. Edgewood College got back into the game by going 18-for-24 (75 percent) at the free throw line in the second half.
Viterbo University recorded just their second win of the season, behind Ambrose who made five of six free throws down the stretch and finished with 18 points. Diciaula made both of his three-point attempts to finish with 12 points, while Alex Koeller added 11. Matt Turba had a game-high six assists for the V-Hawks, a member of the NAIA and Midwest Collegiate Confernece.
With the loss, the Eagles wrap up the non-conference portion of their schedule, and look forward to Saturday showdown with MSOE. The Eagles and Raiders will tipoff from the Edgedome at 4:15 p.m. following the Edgewood College women's basketball game. Both games can be seen live at EdgewoodCollegeEagles.com.
The Eagles trailed 36-17 at halftime to Viterbo University (2-14), but opened the second half with a stunning 26-6 run and grabbed the lead at 43-42 with just under nine minutes to play. The second half streak was jump started by Eagle guards Ben Wisniewski and Derek Nkemnji. The junior pair combined to score the Eagles first nine points of the half. Trailing 38-31, senior Jeff Barczak scored three straight buckets in the paint to keep the Eagles' momentum. Eventually, it was Nkemnji and Wisniewski who put the Eagles in front for the first time in the game. First it was Nkemnji with a jumper in the paint, followed by a long three-point basket from Wisniewski.
However, Viterbo's Alex Diciaula had the answer for the V-Hawks. Diciaula nailed a three-pointer on the other end of court and Ryan Ambrose followed with a three-point play to put Viterbo back in front 48-43. Later, Matt Turba would nail a three-pointer to push the V-Hawks advantage to 53-46. Viterbo was red-hot from the arc, shooting 66.7 percent (8-for-12) for long range on the night.
Edgewood College (7-5) trailed by seven with 23 seconds to play, but still managed to be in position for a final attempt at a game-tying three-point shot. Wisniewski hit his fourth three-point basket of the night to cut the V-Hawks lead to 66-64 with less than seconds to play. The Eagles fouled with 5.4 seconds on the clock, but Viterbo's Cole Lewis made just one of two free throws. After a timeout, the Eagles inbounded to Barczak at half court, but Viterbo's Izac Sheforgen sealed the game by poking the ball away from Barczak before the Eagles could get a shot off.
Edgewood College ended up shooting 61.9 percent (13-for-21) in the second half, which was a remarkable turnaround from the first half. The Eagles shot just 26.1 percent (6-for-23) in the opening 20 minutes. Viterbo used a 12-0 run to open up a 31-15 lead with five minutes to play in the half, and eventually secured their largest lead of the game at 36-17 at the break. Viterbo shot 53.8 percent (14-for-26) in the first half and 49 percent (24-for-49) for the game.
The Eagles were led by Wisniewski who moved within three points of 1,000 for his career, by scoring 23 against the V-Hawks. Besides his four three-point baskets he also went 9-for-9 from the free throw line and has 997 career points heading into his next game. Cashton Craig and Nkemnji chipped in 10 points apiece with Nkemnji, the Northern Athletics Conference leader in field goal percentage, going 4-for-4 from the floor. Barczak finished with nine points, all in the second half, while Kent Faurote grabbed a game-high seven rebounds. Craig led the team with four assists. Edgewood College got back into the game by going 18-for-24 (75 percent) at the free throw line in the second half.
Viterbo University recorded just their second win of the season, behind Ambrose who made five of six free throws down the stretch and finished with 18 points. Diciaula made both of his three-point attempts to finish with 12 points, while Alex Koeller added 11. Matt Turba had a game-high six assists for the V-Hawks, a member of the NAIA and Midwest Collegiate Confernece.
With the loss, the Eagles wrap up the non-conference portion of their schedule, and look forward to Saturday showdown with MSOE. The Eagles and Raiders will tipoff from the Edgedome at 4:15 p.m. following the Edgewood College women's basketball game. Both games can be seen live at EdgewoodCollegeEagles.com.