By Emily Simonson, UWEC Sports Information

ST. PAUL, Minn. (Blugolds.com) – The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire women's basketball team started the regular season with a 75-56 road win at Northwestern (Minn.) on Saturday night.

Box Score

The Blugolds started strong with a 19-7 lead after one quarter of play. UW-Eau Claire held the lead for almost the entirety of the game, letting Northwestern lead by no more than two points.

Katie Essen (So. – Farmington, MN/Rosemount) led the team in scoring with 17 points on the night. Kelsey Bakken (Jr. – Marshall, WI) and Hallee Hoeppner (Jr. – Winona, MN) both ended the night with 13 points each. Bakken also recorded a game-high 10 rebounds. Maddie Dunathan (Sr. – Hortonville, WI) led the way for the Blugolds in assists with six and also put up 12 points.

The Blugolds shot 46.6 percent from the field and shot an impressive 43.8 percent from behind the three-point line. They capitalized on free throw opportunities and made 14 points worth of free throws.

The Blugolds (1-0) will be in Zorn on Friday, Nov. 16 at 8:00 p.m. as they take on Ripon College (Wis.) as a part of the UWEC Tip-Off Classic. Follow the action on Blugold Game Day or on the 'UWEC Blugolds' app on your mobile device.