EAU CLAIRE, Wis. - The UW-Eau Claire men's basketball team came up short for the first time this season at Zorn Arena, falling 69-64 to UW-Superior tonight.

Eau Claire drops to 8-4 overall and 2-2 in Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play. Superior improves to 8-5 on the season and 1-3 in conference play. The last time the Blugolds defeated Superior in Zorn Arena was on January 18, 2006.

In a game where the score changed eight times and was also tied eight times, the Blugolds could not overcome a 14-point deficit in the second half. The Blugolds had the upper hand near the end of the first half and took a five point lead into halftime, but Superior used a 24-5 run over the first seven minutes of the second half to get up on the Blugolds. The closest Eau Claire got the rest of the way was five, at the end of the contest.

In the first period Eau Claire outshot Superior but the Yellowjackets came up shooting 66.7 percent (16-for-24) from the floor in the second. For the game, the Yellowjackets outshot the Blugolds 53.2 percent to 46.6 percent. Superior also went 12-for-17 from the line while the Blugolds were only 4-for-7. Eau Claire edged Superior in rebounds, pulling down 33 to the Yellowjackets' 27.

Dan Beyer (Sr.-Waukesha, Wis./Catholic Memorial) led Eau Claire with a double-double, scoring 15 points and a game-high 11 boards. Geoff Probst (Jr.-Moose Lake, Minn.) also reached double figures with 14 points and Josh Prince (Fr.-Cadott, Wis./Chippewa Falls) added 13. Ryan Shea (So.-Duluth, Minn./East) led the game with five assists.

Dan Culy led the Yellowjackets with a game-high 23 points, playing all but three minutes of tonight's game. Jake Smith added 19 points and Shane Manor recorded seven rebounds to lead Superior.

Up next Eau Claire will travel to UW-Whitewater for the first game of a doubleheader Saturday. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. and the women's game will follow.

Eau Claire-Superior Box Score

- KM -