WAVERLY, Iowa (Blugolds.com) - The UW-Eau Claire men's basketball team defeated Concordia University (Wis.) 84-64 on day one of the 2009 Buzz Levick-Pizza Ranch Tipoff Tournament at Levick Arena tonight.

The Blugolds are now 2-0 overall while Concordia drops to 1-1. Concordia's win came against NCAA Division II UW-Parkside last Sunday.

Eau Claire and Concordia fought back and forth for almost the first nine minutes of the game before the Blugolds took a lead they would not give up. Before Eau Claire took the lead for good, the score changed three times and was tied six other times.

The Blugolds used an 18-2 run starting at the 11:32 mark in the first half to go up by 16 after the score was tied for the sixth time. Concordia would only cut the Blugolds' lead to 13 before the end of the first but closed to within seven in the second half twice. The Blugolds held strong though and were able to continue to push their lead back to double-digits and finally came out 20 points ahead.

Eau Claire shot 51.7 percent (15-for-29) on the night, hitting eight three-pointers in 17 attempts (47.1 percent). Concordia shot just 30.8 percent (20-for-65). Eau Claire also outrebounded Concordia 42-38.

Josh Prince (So.-Chippewa Falls, Wis./Chi-Hi) led the Blugolds in scoring with 16 points while Jacob Schlub (Sr.-Catawba, Wis./Phillips) and Nick Bartlett (So.-Arden Hills, Minn./Mounds View) each added 12. Geoff Probst (Sr.-Moose Lake, Minn.) was also in double-figures with 10. Amadou Fofana (Jr.-Appleton, Wis./West) led Eau Claire with 10 rebounds.

The Blugolds will now play in the championship game of the tournament against Wartburg College, which defeated Bethany Lutheran (Minn.) 101-59 in the other game of the tournament tonight. Action is set to get underway at 4 p.m.