LISLE, Ill. – The men's basketball team starts tournament play on Wednesday, Feb. 23 against Rockford College (10-14, 6-10) at the Dan and Ada Rice Center. After a disappointing loss in the NAC Challenge game, the Eagles (18-7, 13-3) hope to come out strong in the first round of the tournament.

 

Benedictine enters the tournament as the No. 2 overall seed has already played the No. 7 seed, Rockford, twice this season. In their last game against the Regents in Rockford, BenU pulled off a 97-86 victory. Junior Nate Green led the game in scoring with 26 points on 5-12 shooting and 14-20 from the free throw line. 

 

The Eagle's senior class played exceptionally well in the game. Jerrell Tribble added 23 points (8-12), eight rebounds, and four steals. Cameron Snelling also continued his solid play, chipping in 16 points (4-11), grabbing 19 boards, and dishing out a team-high five assists. Brian Genslinger shot a perfect 4-4 from the field to add 11 points. Terry Licht rounded out the double-digit scorers with ten points of his own on 3-6 shooting.

 

Rockford, who is second in the NAC in scoring with 76.7 points a game, had five players score in double-digits as well. They were led by Robert Malone with 20 points (7-19), 17 rebounds, and seven steals. Both teams shot well with the Eagles hitting 49 percent of their shots to the Regents' 46.5 percent. Rockford, however, shot poorly from the foul line (67 percent) compared to their usual 74.6 percent, which consequentially leads the NAC.

 

Despite losing their last game, the Eagles will certainly come out fired-up for the quarterfinal game. Tip-off is at 7:00 p.m. in the Rice Center and can be viewed live by going to www.vidtechsportsvision.com. Wear BLACK to support your Eagles on their quest for a NAC Championship.