HOLLAND, MI - Despite being down 40-21 at half, the UW-Eau Claire women's basketball team came back to defeat Davenport University (MI) 72-65 in a back-and-forth consolation game at the Hope College Tip-Off Tourney.

This is the first win of the year for the 1-1 Blugolds. The Panthers drop to 3-4. Davenport fell in the opening round to defending national champion Hope College (MI) by a 95-66 score while Eau Claire lost 68-50 to sixth-ranked Baldwin-Wallace College (OH).

The Blugolds again faced an early deficit with an 11-2 score just over two minutes in. Though a Brittanni Hakanson (So.-Wheeler/Boyceville) jumper cut the lead down to five at one point, the Panthers stayed up by about 10 points and saw a 22-12 advantage at 10:41 to play in the half. Eau Claire then went on a 9-0 run capped off by a Rachel Mueggenborg (Jr.-West Salem) three that pulled Eau Claire to within a point at 6:38.

The Panthers were not about to let the lead slip away and went on a tear of their own. After the 22-21 score, Davenport scored the next 18 unanswered points as Eau Claire had a 6:38 drought to go into halftime with the Panthers ahead 40-21.

Eau Claire shot 25.7% in the first while the Panthers went 14-of-31 for a 45.2 percentage. The Panthers also had no reservations about putting up the three, of which they shot 14 and made 5 for 35.7%. Eau Claire went 1-for-6 or 16.7%. The rebounds went 26-18 in Davenport's favor. Hakanson led Eau Claire with six points while Davenport's Jeanette Woodberry led all scorers with 11.

In the beginning of the second half the Blugolds began to chip away at the deficit and found themselves down 59-44 around the 10 minute mark. Eau Claire then went on a 20-0 run and took its first lead of the season. Michelle Burns (Jr.-Eau Claire/North) put in the go-ahead bucket to make the score 60-59 and capped off the spree as well with a jumper at the four minute mark to make the score 64-59.

The lead fluctuated between one and five points before the Panthers started fouling at the end. The closest Davenport got was within one point at 1:48 but a Hakanson jumper brought it back to a three-point game. Heidi Arciszewski (So.-Thorp) and Missy Fremstad (So.-Osseo/Osseo-Fairchild) made their free throws down the stretch as Eau Claire held on for the 72-65 comeback victory.

Eau Claire outscored Davenport 51-25 in the second half as the Blugolds shot 52.8%. The Panther percentage dropped to 25.0%. The Panthers kept shooting from long range going 5-for-19 in the second half to make for 26.3%. Eau Claire made its free throws when it counted as it went 12-for-14 in the second half, an 85.7 percentage.

In the end the Blugolds shot 39.4% while going 20.0% on two made baskets from behind the arc. The team free throw percentage was 87.5%.

Arciszewski led Eau Claire with 18 points. Burns had 14 and Hakanson scored 12. Burns' 12 rebounds was tops for the team with Arciszewski's 10 not far behind. Eau Claire outrebounded Davenport 51-36. Burns was named to the all-tournament team.

The Davenport shooters went 34.9% on the game. The Panthers went 10-for-33 on three pointers for 30.3%. From the line the team shot 61.1%. Woodberry's 22 points led all scorers while Kristin Bergsma's nine boards led for Davenport.

The Blugolds head to Zorn Arena next to face St. Norbert College in their home opener. The game starts at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday.

Eau Claire-Davenport Box Score

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