Box Score

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MADISON, Wis. – After having a week off to think about their loss to Dominican University, the Edgewood College women's basketball team sputtered out of the gate against Aurora University on Saturday at the Todd Wehr Edgedome. However, the Eagles dominated the middle 20 minutes of the game and held off a late Spartan rally to take the 74-70 victory.

The Spartans (5-16, 2-12 NAC) made 10 of their first 14 shots to open up a 25-14 lead with just under nine minutes to play in the first half. However, the Spartans went cold from the floor and the Eagle onslaught started.

Alison Tobin started the run and scored six of the Eagles' next 10 points as the Eagles cut the deficit to 25-24 with just over five minutes left in the first half. After a Spartan free throw and three-point basket, Edgewood College closed the half on a 9-0 spurt. Chelsey Watkins drained her only triple of the game before Sadie Ewing and Maggie Peerenboom knocked down back-to-back jump shots. Brianna Reising capped the first half scoring when she made a jumper with 25 seconds left, and the Eagles held a 33-29 halftime lead.

Aurora shot 50.0 percent in the first half, but went 2-for-10 over the final 8:42 while the Eagles (12-8, 10-4 NAC) climbed back into the game. Edgewood College shot 48.3 percent (14-for-29) in the first stanza.

The Eagle assault continued in the second half as they scored the half's first 10 points. Danielle Dixon started the half with a jump shot and Shae Beckwith followed with a triple before Brittany Bylsma converted a bucket in the paint. Tobin capped the run with an old fashioned three-point play to give the Eagles a 43-29 advantage.

After a pair of Spartan free throws, Reising made another jumper, and Watkins knocked down a pair of free throws to cap the 33-6 run and the Eagles held a 47-31 lead. The next seven minutes was played tight, but the Eagles extended the lead thanks to a basket by Reising with 7:45 to play, which ultimately represented Edgewood College's final field goal of the game. Peerenboom followed with a free throw to give the Eagles their largest lead of the game at 60-42.

The Spartans then rallied and began to chip away at the lead. Ashley Daniels connected on a three-point attempt before consecutive buckets brought Aurora within 11 points. Jessica Mason capped the 13-0 Spartan run with a jump shot and the Eagle lead was trimmed to 60-56 with 3:03 left.

At that point, the Spartans began fouling, and the Eagles were up to the task as they made 12 straight free throw attempts and closed the game by making 14 of their final 16 shots from the charity stripe. The Spartans' Daniels and Jocelyn Wide made three-point baskets in the final 18 seconds to make the final score 74-70.

Aurora shot 48.0 percent (24-for-50) in the game, including 55.6 percent (10-for-18) from three-point land. The Eagles shot 42.6 percent (23-for-54) from the field in the contest and went 23-for-31 (74.2 percent) from the free throw line.

Tobin led four Eagles in double figures with 15 points and went 9-for-9 from the free throw line while Ewing went 8-for-10 from the charity stripe and ended up with 13 points. Beckwith scored 12 points and Bylsma chipped in with 10 points.

Daniels was the only Spartan in double figures as she led all scorers with 23 points while Michelle Perry grabbed a game-high eight rebounds.

With the win, and losses by Marian University, Lakeland College and Alverno College, the Eagles clinched a berth in the Northern Athletics Conference Tournament.

The Eagles have a couple days off before they travel to Marian University on Tuesday. Tipoff from Sadoff Gymnasium is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.