Cooper went 6-of-6 from the free throw line in the final three minutes to help ice the game. He finished a perfect 8-of-8 from the foul line and was 9-of-14 from the floor, including 4-of-5 from the beyond the three-point arc.
The Eagles trailed by as many as five points midway through the first half, but battled back to take the lead at halftime. A three-pointer by John Fahey with six ticks on the clock gave Edgewood a 39-38 advantage at intermission.
Perhaps the biggest adjustment the Eagles had to make was finding a way to stop the Raiders’ Jamel Sabree. Sabree was flawless in the first half, shooting 7-of-7 from the field for 16 points coming off of the bench. The 6-foot-4 freshman forward still powered his way to an MSOE-best 26 points, but managed only three field goals in the final period.
Edgewood showed off its own big man, however. Rookie center Jon Ciche, who’s listed at 6-foot-8, poured in a career-high 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field. He also pulled down eight rebounds and had four blocked shots to bring his league-leading swat total to 34 for the season.
Floyd Bayiha, who netted 30 points in MSOE’s 73-58 victory over the Eagles back on Dec. 10, still managed 18 points to go along with seven boards and five steals for the Raiders. Scott Murphy pitched in 10 points.
Edgewood’s Charlie Averkamp added 10 points to the winning cause. Eddie Hebl also scored 10 points and hit some clutch free throws down the stretch.
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