OSHKOSH, Wis. - In the first ever meeting between the two teams, the UW-Eau Claire men's basketball team lost to Dordt College (Neb.) tonight at the Oshkosh Classic by a score of 92-74. With the loss, the Blugolds fall to 1-2 on the young season.

Dordt was able to take advantage of a slow start by Eau Claire, opening the contest with a 5-0 lead. The Blugolds would have to play catch up for the remainder of the half, grabbing the lead just once at the 9:43 mark of the first half. Eau Claire headed into the locker room down 49-35 at halftime. Looking to mount a comeback, the Blugolds would begin the second half with a Dan Beyer (Sr.-Waukesha, Wis./Catholic Memorial) layup to pull within 12. Unfortunately, Eau Claire was unable to shrink the lead any further. Dordt would extend its lead in the second half, accumulating a 21 point lead midway through to cap off the win.

For the game, Eau Claire shot 43.6 percent from the field and 41.2 percent from beyond the arch. The Blugolds edged Dordt in free throws, shooting 21 to Dordt's 16, but the Defenders had the slight advantage in rebounds, 32 to 28.

Three Blugolds recorded double-digit point totals in the loss. Beyer led the way with 21 points on nine of 15 shooting from the field and four rebounds. Nick Bartlett (Fr.-Arden Hills, Minn./Mounds View) picked up 12 points, while Jordan Kappen (Jr.-Blair, Wis./Blair-Taylor) scored 10 and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.

Logan Kingma and Brandon Oldenkamp led the way for Dordt, scoring 22 and 21 points, respectively.

Eau Claire will be back in action tomorrow evening at the Oshkosh Classic in a match up against Clarke College (Iowa). This will mark the first ever meeting between the two teams. The opening tip is scheduled for 5 p.m. at the Kolf Sports Center.

Eau Claire-Dordt Box Score

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