DULUTH, Minn. - After picking up its first wins of the season by 20 and 21 points this weekend, the UW-Eau Claire men's basketball team went to 3-2 with a 73-57 victory over St. Scholastica (MN) tonight.

The Blugolds actually found themselves down 4-0 early, but by 15:08 were up 7-5 with a Zack Ryan (Sr.-Lake Elmo, MN/Tartan) three. They wouldn't look back. Eau Claire increased the lead to six at 11:02 before St. Scholastica brought it down to a three-point margin a couple times.

With seven minutes to play in the half, though, Eau Claire went on a tear. Dan Beyer (Sr.-Waukesha/Catholic Memorial) made one down low to make it 15-10 at 6:56. He started a 12-0 run that resulted in a 15-point lead after Ryan Shea (Fr.-Duluth, MN/East) nailed one from long range at 4:11. The Saints would get in single-digits three times before half, but the teams went to the locker rooms with a 33-21 score in favor of Eau Claire.

The Blugolds shot 41.4 percent (12-of-29) in the first half while making four threes and five free throws. The Saints made just 8-of-25 for a 32.0 percentage. They made 1-of-7 three-pointers and 4-of-6 from the line.

Eau Claire scored the first six points in the second half to open up a 39-21 lead. St. Scholastica could only bring it down to a 15-point margin at 18:02 and 16:08 before Shea's jumper at 12:15 made it a 21-point game.

The lead would hover around 20 points until 8:31, when the Saints went on an 8-0 run and made it 56-43. At 5:34, the Saints even brought to 11 points. The Blugolds then went on a 9-0 burst of their own to make score 66-46. The Blugolds would hold a sizable lead the rest of the way.

Both teams shot better in the second half, with Eau Claire going 14-of-26 for 53.8 percent and St. Scholastica making 10-of-29 for 34.5 percent. The Blugolds made 11 from the line while the Saints added 10 to go with their six threes.

In the end, Eau Claire outshot St. Scholastica 47.3 percent-to-33.3 percent, though the Saints shot better from the line. They hit 14-of-17 (82.4 percent) and the Blugolds made 16-of-22 (72.7 percent). Eau Claire just edged the Saints in rebounds (31-to-27) and in takeaways (14-to-13).

Beyer and Shea put on the offensive show, scoring 20 and 19 points, respectively. Colin Boone (So.-Eau Claire/Memorial) also hit double-figures with 11. Shea's six boards led the team. Chance Weisensel (So.-Alamogordo, NM) was a presence on defense, blocking three shots.

Eau Claire's next game will be the first conference contest. The matchup against UW-Stout starts at 5 p.m. on Saturday in Menomonie.

Eau Claire-St. Scholastica Box Score

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