DULUTH, Minn. (Blugolds.com) - The UW-Eau Claire men's basketball team opened the 2009-10 season with an 87-47 victory over the College of St. Scholastica at Reif Gymnasium today.

The Blugolds got on the board right away and never looked back. Josh Prince (So.-Chippewa Falls, Wis./Chi-Hi) was fouled just 13 seconds into the game and drained his two free throws to give Eau Claire the early 2-0 lead. The Blugolds did not allow any points for more than the first two minutes of the game and were up 6-0 before the Saints answered.

Eau Claire continued to increase its lead in the first half and took a 42-18 lead into the locker room. The Blugolds hit more than half of their shots from the floor in the first going 16-for-30 (53.3 percent) while holding St. Scholastica to just six field goals in 26 attempts (23.1 percent).

The Blugolds came out strong in the second half and pushed their lead to 26 with Geoff Probst (Sr.-Moose Lake, Minn.) hitting a jumper right away. Eau Claire increased its lead throughout the half and after a 6-0 run at one point, the Blugolds achieved their largest lead of the game at 41 points (78-37).

Eau Claire finished the game shooting 52.3 percent from the floor (34-for-65) while the Saints shot just 28 percent (14-for-50). The Blugolds recorded seven three-pointers on 18 attempts (38.9 percent) and St. Scholastica tried 10 shots from beyond the arc, making none.

Amadou Fofana (Jr.-Appleton, Wis./West) led the Blugolds in scoring with 14 points while Probst finished with 13 and Branden Tachick (Fr.-Suamico, Wis./Bay Port) added 11 coming off the bench. Tachick and Probst led Eau Claire with eight rebounds apiece as the Blugolds accumulated a total of 49.

Up next, the Blugolds will travel to Waverly, Iowa for the Wartburg College Tournament. The Blugolds will open the two-day event Friday with a game against Concordia University (Wis.). Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.