DULUTH, Minn. - The UW-Eau Claire women's basketball team picked up its sixth straight win of the season, defeating NCAA Division II opponent University of Minnesota Duluth 67-52 at Romano Gymnasium tonight.

The Blugolds improve to 6-0 on the season while UMD drops to 2-3. The last time Eau Claire started the season winning six straight games was during the 2004-05 season when the Blugolds went 7-0 before they were handed their first loss. Tonight was the first meeting all-time between the two teams.

Despite the 15-point victory, UMD was not out of the contest until late in the second half. The Blugolds and the Bulldogs kept the game close almost the entire way with Eau Claire never getting up by more than nine until five minutes were left to go. In the opening half UMD led once early on but the Blugolds took a five-point lead into halftime. Duluth opened the second half on a 9-2 run but Eau Claire took back the lead six minutes in and never looked back. From 16:16 in the second until 1:25, Eau Claire outscored Duluth 23-6 to help secure the victory.

For the night, Eau Claire was 23-for-48 from the floor (47.9 percent), including 5-for-10 from beyond the arc. The Blugolds also shot 76.2 percent from the free throw line, going 16-for-21. UMD only shot 34.5 percent (19-for-55) and went 7-for-24 (29.2 percent) from the three-point line. Duluth also shot 70 percent (7-for-10) from the line. The Blugolds worked hard down low, scoring 28 points in the paint while Duluth only found 12.

Heather Witt (Sr.-Kendall, Wis./Royall) led all scorers this evening with a career-high 25 points. Heidi Arciszewski (Sr.-Thorp, Wis.) added 15 points, while Hannah Mesick (So.-Chatfield, Minn.) also reached double-figures with 10. Arciszewski led the team with eight rebounds, while Witt led the game with a season-high seven steals.

For Duluth, Jheri Booker recorded a double-double with 13 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. Jordanne Even chipped in with 12 points and Monica Mayry led the game with six assists.

Eau Claire will be back at home this weekend to open conference play. The Blugolds will face I-94 rival UW-Stout in the second game of a doubleheader at 5 p.m. Saturday in Zorn Arena.

Eau Claire-UMD Box Score

- KM -