SUPERIOR - The UW-Eau Claire men's basketball team shot 55.2 percent from the floor in the first half and went on to earn a 69-52 victory over UW-Superior in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener here tonight at Clough Gates Gymnasium.

With the victory the Blugolds move to 3-2 overall and 1-0 in conference play while the Yellowjackets suffer their first loss to fall to 5-1 for the season and 0-1 in the WIAC.

The two teams traded the first six points but the Blugolds took the first noticeable advantage, a five-point lead at 13-8. Eau Claire's lead would range between five and eight points for the majority of the half, but with 2:58 left to play in the first half, Casey Drake (Sr.-Rhinelander) hit a two-point shot that sparked an 8-0 Blugold run. The run turned a 28-22 lead into a more sizeable 36-22 advantage.

Superior battled back, closing the half on a 5-0 run, all in the final minute, to cut the Eau Claire lead to 36-27. The Blugolds benefited from 10 superior turnovers in the half, converting them into 20 points. Drake led Eau Claire with 13 points and six assists in the half.

After Dan Beyer (Fr.-Waukesha/Catholic Memorial) opened the second half with a basket, the Yellowjackets went on another 5-0 run to cut the lead to just six points at 38-32. With the lead still at six nearing the midway point of the second half, the Blugolds put things away behind the strength of a 13-3 run, ranging nearly five minutes. Dan Archambault (Sr.-Oshkosh/West) had eight points during the run, including nailing two three-pointers to close the run. Superior was never able to rebound from the 16-point deficit, and the Blugolds finished with a 69-52 victory on the road.

Drake finished with game-highs of 21 points, eight assists and six rebounds while hitting all three of his free-throw attempts. Archambault totaled 15 points, three assists and three steals while converting on all three of his shots from long range. Beyer added eight points and five rebounds in the win.

Leonard Cobb was the only Yellowjacket on the money in the loss, leading his team with 19 points. Only one other player on Superior with more than three shot attempts connected higher than 25 percent from the floor, with Bayiha Floyd Nyemeck shooting 2-of-6.

The Blugolds used excellent shooting all game to earn the win, hitting 27-of-54 (50 percent) from the floor. Eau Claire's three-point accuracy was sharp, hitting 5-of-9 (55.6 percent) from downtown while Superior was just 1-of-11 from behind the three-point arc.

Neither team shot well from the free-throw line, with the Blugolds hitting 10-of-18 (55.6 percent) and the Yellowjackets hitting 13-of-23 (56.5 percent).

Eau Claire will look for another WIAC victory this Saturday when the Blugolds host UW-Stevens Point at W.L. Zorn Arena. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m.

Eau Claire-Superior Box Score

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