The Dominican University men's basketball team kept pace with the Edgewood College Eagles but could never pull in front in an 88-80 loss for the Stars in Madison, Wisconsin, on Monday night.  Marcus Watson and Connor Dartt both had career nights for the Stars in the loss, dropping in a career-high 24 and 20 points respectively, as the Dominican big men combined for more than half of the Stars' points in the absence of leading scorer Isaac Moore.
 
Watson, averaging just 3.5 points per game entering Monday night, made the most of his third start of the season, shooting 10-for-18 from the field while logging a season-high 28 minutes.  The junior helped the Stars keep pace in the second half, scoring 20 of his 24 after halftime. With Edgewood trying to pull away in the second half, Watson kept the Stars close, converting on eight of his 12 attempts from field, including knocking down a pair of threes.
 
Dartt scored his career-high 20 points in a season-high 37 minutes.  The junior shot 7-for-12 from the field, including going 4-for-5 in the second half.  Dartt also pulled down a team-high seven rebounds to round out his career night.
 
As a team, the Stars shot 29-for-64 from the field, good for a 45-percent field goal percentage, while the host Eagles shot better than 52-percent from the field, 31-for-59.
 
Jake Negus led five in double-figures for the Eagles, scoring a team-high 21 points on 6-for-12 shooting, including a 4-for-5 clip from three-point distance.
 
Dominican, now 3-17, return home to the Igini Sports Forum for their next three contests, starting with the Marian University Sabres on Wednesday evening.  Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.