OSHKOSH, Wis. - The UW- Eau Claire women's basketball team made it three wins in a row tonight with a 61-55 win over UW-Oshkosh at the Kolf Sports Center.

The Blugolds survived a late offensive surge from the Titans after having built a 16 point lead into the second half. With the win, the Blugolds remain in second place in the WIAC with a 9-2 record and a 17-2 overall record. Oshkosh falls to 6-15 overall and 1-11 in conference play.

The first 15 minutes of the game was evenly matched, with Eau Claire holding on to a slight lead. With 4:50 left in the half, the Blugolds extended their lead, going on a 13-2 run to take a 31-18 lead into halftime. Eau Claire shot 44.4 percent from the field in the first half, while holding Oshkosh to just 29.6 percent.

Eau Claire maintained their lead to open the second half, but the Titans mounted a comeback. Trailing 42-28, Oshkosh went on a scoring run of its own, rattling off a 22-8 run to tie the game at 50, much to the chagrin of Blugold Head Coach Tonja Englund.

"It's tough to win on the road in this league," said Englund. "But the most important thing is that we stay in the (WIAC) race, so even if it's an ugly win, we'll take it."

Two Jodi Lindner (Jr.-Neillsville, Wis.) free throws gave the Blugolds a slim 52-50 lead. Despite another late run from the Titans, the Blugolds dropped in 11 of the game's last 16 points to secure the six point win.

Heidi Arciszewski (Sr.-Thorp, Wis.) led Eau Claire with a game-high 18 points along with six rebounds. Hannah Mesick (So.-Chatfield, Minn.) chipped in with 16 points and six rebounds, while Missy Fremstad (Sr.-Osseo, Wis./Osseo-Fairchild) pulled down a team-high rebounds to go with seven points and four assists.

Eau Claire hits the road for back-to-back games this weekend. On Saturday, the Blugolds travel to UW-River Falls, and the University of South Dakota on Sunday which was rescheduled from December 20. Eau Claire beat River Falls 55-51 earlier this season at Zorn Arena. Saturday's contest will be the second game of a doubleheader with the men and is slated to begin at 5 p.m.

Eau Claire-Oshkosh Box Score

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