Box Score EAU CLAIRE - The 20th-ranked UW-Eau Claire women's basketball team controlled the game from the opening tip defeating 9th-ranked UW-Stevens Point 74-45 in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference battle here tonight at Zorn Arena.
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Michelle Burns
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The Blugolds never trailed in the game with Michelle Burns (Fr.-Eau Claire/North) scoring the first six Blugold points to put Eau Claire up 6-2 in the early going. Becca Carstensen (Sr.-Eau Claire/Memorial) put Eau Claire up nine with 10:51 remaining in the opening half before the Pointers went on a 10-2 run to close within one point.
Eau Claire put away Stevens Point in the last 10 minutes of the half going on a 20-5 run to close the half up 39-23. Six players scored during the run including five from Joanna Leafblad (Sr.-Eau Claire/Memorial).
The Blugolds increased the lead early in the second half scoring the first four points to go up 20. The Pointers came back hitting three pointers on consecutive possessions to cut the lead to 14. Eau Claire came right back with a 9-0 run to go up 23. Liz VanDrasek (Jr.-Albertville, MN/St. Michael-Albertville) hit a three with 4:59 left to put the Blugolds up a game-high 33 points.
Burns led three Blugolds in double digits with 15 on 7 of 9 shooting. Leafblad added 11 and Carstensen a career-high 10 points. Rachel Becker (Jr.-Gilmanton) played a strong all-around game with nine points and team-highs of seven rebounds, six assists and three steals.
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Eau Claire shot a season-high 53.4 percent from the floor while holding the Pointers to a season-low 29.6 percent. The Blugolds had solid ball movement throughout assisting on 22 of 31 baskets including five each from Jessica Dickey (Sr.-White Bear Lake, MN/Cretin-Derham Hall) and Katie Murphy (Sr.-La Crosse/Aquinas). Murphy moved into eighth on the all-time Blugold assist list with assist number 294 today.
The win improves Eau Claire to 7-0 on the season and 2-0 in the WIAC while Stevens Point falls to 5-2 and 1-1 in the conference.
The Blugolds will be in action next when they host the 6th-ranked Titans of UW-Oshkosh Wednesday at Zorn Arena. The game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
Eau Claire-Stevens Point Box Score
- JL -
