18-2 finishing run carries Mustangs

That edge in conditioning started to pay off at that point as the Mustangs finished the game on a startling 18-2 run against worn-out Brown County to post a 63-54 Western Indiana Conference victory Friday night.

The turnaround was set up by Edgewood's vast improvements in two key areas in the second half: rebounding and turnovers. The Mustangs (3-1, 1-0) had just six more turnovers after having 18 in the first half and attacked the boards with 13 out of 26 rebounds coming on the offensive end.

"Those were the two biggest issues we talked about at halftime," Edgewood coach Gary Sims said. "We had to rebound and get rid of the lazy passes."

A fast-paced game saw Laura Luther lead Edgewood with 22 points, while Chelsea Miller had 18 points and eight rebounds and Hannah Rommel had 10 and six. Angela Hacker grabbed 13 boards and Rachel Delay seven.

Brown County (1-4, 0-1), which seemed to have all the answers over the first 27 minutes, ended with 30 turnovers and shot just 9-of-32 in the second half after a hot start. Kami Graber had 23 points and Shelby Hundley 20, while Sasha Robinson had 17 rebounds, 13 in the second half after overcoming early foul trouble.

"Shelby and Kami played the whole game," BC coach Mike Harmon said. "They were tired."

The Eagles were in control, 52-45, with 4:48 to go when a 3 by Miller and a steal and layup by Luther started the comeback.

Brown County's next five possessions ended with a missed layup and four turnovers but Edgewood remained down 52-50.

Then the offensive board work paid off when Rommel tipped a missed free throw to Delay, who was fouled at 2:12. She made the first of two before Rommel again hustled for the board.

"We had our hands up, but we never caught the ball," Harmon said. "We were not strong enough to hang on to it."

Another Edgewood shot was tipped out of bounds and stayed with the Mustangs before Miller drilled a 3-pointer with 1:49 to go for a 54-52 lead, Edgewood's first of the game.

A rushed 3 attempt by Graber was followed by a drive and score by Rommel. Then a 7-of-8 effort at the line clinched it.

"We closed the game out," Sims said. "It's huge to grab a win on the road."

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