LA CROSSE - The UW-Eau Claire women's basketball team shot just 29.1 percent from the floor en route to a 48-47 loss to UW-La Crosse here tonight at Mitchell Hall.

The Blugolds fall to 7-2 for the season and 2-2 in Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play while the Eagles improve to 5-3 on the year and 1-2 in WIAC action.

After a 2-2 tie, La Crosse slowly built a lead and eventually owned a 19-9 advantage over the Blugolds with 6:45 remaining in the first half. Eau Claire responded with a 9-2 run to close the half trailing by just three, at 21-18.

After a Rachel Becker (Jr.-Gilmanton) lay-up cut the lead to a single point, the Eagles used a 13-5 run to take a 34-25 lead with 12:28 left in the game. The Blugolds battled back with eight straight points of their own to cut the lead back to one with 10:46 left in the contest. From there on out no team led by more than three points.

With the score knotted at 36, a pair of Jessica Dickey (Sr.-White Bear Lake, MN/Cretin-Derham Hall) free-throw gave the Blugolds their first lead of the game. After four consecutive lead changes, Eau Claire forced a stop and a Katie Murphy (Sr.-La Crosse/Aquinas) jumper gave the Blugolds a 44-41 lead. The Eagles scored the next five points to grab the lead back with 1:22 left in the game. Neither team could put any more points on the board until just 16 seconds remained, when Michelle Burns (Fr.-Eau Claire/North) canned a three-point shot to give Eau Claire a 47-46 lead. The comeback was not to be, however, as La Crosse's Jana Merchlewitz hit a lay up with five seconds remaining for the game-winning basket.

Burns led the Blugolds with 16 points and eight rebounds while Becker added 12 points and seven rebounds in a losing effort. Shawna Koss and Jaclyn Powell paced the Eagles with 11 points apiece.

Eau Claire will be back in action next Saturday when the Blugolds travel to Brookings, South Dakota to battle South Dakota State at 2:00 p.m.

Eau Claire-La Crosse Box Score

- DN -