The Benedictine University men's basketball team is playing its strongest stretch of basketball of the season, riding a four-game winning streak and holding down the second spot in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference standings. This week, the Eagles will have a chance to inch closer towards clinching a NACC Tournament bid, as the team will host Concordia University Chicago on Tuesday and travel to Edgewood College on Saturday.
BenU improved its record to 12-6 overall and 10-3 in NACC play with a convincing 83-57 over Wisconsin Lutheran College on Saturday. The Eagles shot 50.9% from the floor and shot 22 more free throws than the Warriors en route to its most lopsided win of the season.
Michael Blaszczyk led the Eagles with 17 points while
Kevin Rollins added a season-high 15 points.
Tuesday: vs. Concordia-Chicago (5-13, 3-12), 7:00 p.m.
The Eagles host an in-state conference rival on Tuesday night, as the tenth-place Cougars visit the Dan and Ada Rice Center. After a 2-1 start to the season, the Cougars have gone 3-12. Since a two-game winning streak in mid-January, the Cougars have dropped four consecutive contests, allowing an average of 87.8 points per game on the streak.
BenU has been traditionally strong against the River Forest school, holding a 15-2 advantage over the Cougars since the conference was formed in 2006. In addition, the Eagles have won nine straight matchups in the series, with the last loss to the Cougars coming in Lisle during the 2009-2010 season. Benedictine defeated CUC back on December 4, winning 73-59 in River Forest.
Tim McGinty led the Eagles with 18 points and nine rebounds in the win.
Saturday: at Edgewood (8-10, 7-6), 4:15 p.m.
Benedictine heads north to Madison, Wisconsin to face sixth-place Edgewood College on Saturday afternoon. At 8-10 overall and 7-6 in NACC play, Edgewood is just one game behind fourth-place Marian University, two games behind third-place Concordia University Wisconsin, and one game ahead of seventh-place Milwaukee School of Engineering. Edgewood has dropped three of the last four games and will oppose MSOE on Tuesday before facing BenU Saturday.
In the Battle of the Eagles, Edgewood holds a 9-6 advantage since the NACC was formed in 2006. However, Benedictine bested Edgewood 63-53 on November 29 at the Dan and Ada Rice Center in the only previous matchup between the teams in the 2014-15 season. Edgewood led by three at halftime, but BenU won the second half 39-26 and held Edgewood to just 23.3% from the floor over the final 20 minutes. McGinty led BenU with 16 points and seven rebounds in the contest.
