Elgin, IL - On this Friday night the Eagles welcomed in Division 3 Aurora University to the nest. After a challenging first few games, the Eagles came out playing very crisp on both sides of the ball. In the first quarter, the Eagles were able to get to the free throw line via the bonus and establish a 20-16. With the outside shooting a little cold for both teams, JU established solid post play to go along with the charity stripe help. 

Two key contributors were Madison Carlson with 22 points, and Easton Kimball with 16 points. The Eagles took a 34-26 halftime lead. 

But in the third quarter, Aurora made their move thanks to a 17-2 run to put them in front. JU was just 1-9 from the 3-point line, and the ball would just not fall in big moments. 

Down heading into the final quarter, Judson did rally cutting the lead multiple times to two points. Aurora also struggled from long range going 6-36 which kept the game close. 

Another key player for the Eagles was Demiah Hawkins who had 11 rebounds in all, making many great plays down low. Hawkins also added four steals in the game coming off of the bench. Aliyah Kvamme added 8 rebounds and 4 assists, with most coming in the final frame. 

One bright spot for the Eagles was their free throw shooting going 27-30 from the line. Carlson herself went a perfect 10-10. Carlson had an outstanding game scoring the basketball in this contest. 

In the final minute, JU was chasing two points. They needed to foul AU three separate times to force them to the bonus and the free throw line. With a chance to seal the game, Eliot Dojutrek missed two free throws giving Judson one final shot with 6 seconds left. Off of a pass from Kimball, Carlson last second shot was blocked as time ran out giving Aurora the 70-68 victory. 

Judson is 0-3 on the young season, but this game showed many encouraging signs as the season is still in the early stages. The Eagles will get back at it next week when they travel to Illinois Tech.