EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (blugolds.com) — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's basketball team picked up its first victory of the season by defeating Saint John's (Minn.) 82-69 on Tuesday at Zorn Arena. The Blugolds pulled away in the second half to take down the perennial Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contender.
The Blugolds (1-1) bounced back from a season-opening loss by shooting 49% from the floor, including a 60% clip after halftime. UW-Eau Claire scored 48 points in the second half. On the other end of the floor, UW-Eau Claire forced Saint John's into 16 turnovers to help pull away down the stretch.
It was a back-and-forth affair in the opening half. A sluggish start on offense from both sides of the court added up to just 13 total points across the first five minutes of the game, with Saint John's (0-1) getting out to a 9-4 lead. The Blugolds remained in striking distance though, and later used a 17-6 run to build a nine-point lead with 5:30 left in the half. Six different Blugolds scored during that stretch, and it added up to a 29-20 lead.
The Blugolds' advantage hovered between five and eight points for a few more minutes before the Johnnies ended the half on a 10-2 run to lock the score up at 34 at halftime.
The two sides remained closely knit to open the second half, but the Blugolds started to break the game open around the midway mark.
Michael Casper (Sr. – Merrill, Wis.) scored six points as part of an 8-2 spurt which put UW-Eau Claire ahead 55-46 with 12:40 to go. Shortly after,
Carter Lichtsinn (So. – Olathe, Kan./Olathe West) and
Gunnar Tebon (Sr. – Sturgeon Bay, Wis.) both hit big 3-pointers at separate junctures to make it a 10-point game.
Saint John's managed to trim the Blugolds' lead down to three with 6:21 remaining, but it sparked the Blugolds' haymaker. UW-Eau Claire embarked on a 9-1 run to build an 11-point lead over the next three-plus minutes, and the Johnnies never recovered.
Casper led the Blugolds with 20 points and added six rebounds.
Carter Huschka (Sr. – Farmington, Minn.) had 16 points, seven rebounds and five blocks. Tebon finished with 17 points and four boards to spark the Blugolds off the bench, and
Cade Hall (Sr. – Mauston, Wis.) tallied 13 points, seven rebounds and two steals.
Defensively, UW-Eau Claire held the Johnnies to 37% shooting from the field. St. John's scored 27 points at the free throw line. The Blugolds limited themselves to nine turnovers compared to the Johnnies' 16.
UW-Eau Claire will look to start its first win streak of the season when it travels to the Lopata Classic at Washington University in St. Louis this weekend. The Blugolds face Hanover College (2-1) in their tournament opener on Friday, Nov. 17, at 5 p.m.
