ST. LOUIS (blugolds.com) – The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's basketball team opened the Lopata Classic with an 81-66 loss to Hanover College on Friday at Washington University in St. Louis. The Blugolds nearly overcame a 16-point deficit, but a second-half surge by the Panthers put the game out of reach.
A hot start from Hanover (3-1) put the Blugolds (1-2) in an early deficit. A pair of Panthers 3-pointers across the first two and a half minutes of the game put UW-Eau Claire behind 8-3 and was a sign of things to come. The Blugolds recovered, but Hanover didn't cool off much over the rest of the opening half, either. The Panthers used another set of 3-pointers later to go on an 8-0 run and led 20-12.
The deficit remained around eight points for the next few minutes before a 9-0 spurt saw Hanover establish a 37-21 lead with four minutes remaining in the half. The Blugolds did well to bounce back though, ending the half on an 11-3 run to face a manageable 40-32 deficit heading into the locker room.
The Panthers shot 44% from 3-point range in the first half and 52% from the field. The Blugolds didn't shoot poorly – recording a 46% clip from the floor – but it was tough to keep pace with hot-shooting Hanover.
UW-Eau Claire flipped the script early in the second half, with the Blugolds the side to start well this time.
Michael Casper (Sr. – Merrill, Wis.) scored four points as part of an 8-2 spurt which got the Blugolds to within 42-40 with 17:46 left. However, Hanover immediately answered with a 7-0 run, and UW-Eau Claire wasn't able to gain back much more ground the rest of the way. That 7-0 run by the Panthers was part of a stretch which saw them outscore the Blugolds 18-6 across four-plus minutes to put the game out of reach.
A free throw by
Drew Maloney (Jr. – St. Charles, Minn.) with 6:32 left got the Blugolds' deficit back into single digits at 68-59, but that was as close as they would get.
Carter Huschka (Sr. – Farmington, Minn.) led the Blugolds with 16 points and 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. Casper had 13 points and three assists.
Cade Hall (Sr. – Mauston, Wis.) added 11 points, three rebounds and three assists, and
Gunnar Tebon (Sr. – Sturgeon Bay, Wis.) scored nine points.
The Blugolds shot 52% from the field but 28% from long range. Hanover held a 34-23 advantage in rebounding.
UW-Eau Claire will face either Washington University in St. Louis or Babson in the consolation game of the Lopata Classic on Saturday, Nov. 18. WashU and Babson played later on Friday night, with the loser joining the Blugolds in the consolation game. Tip-off is 3 p.m.
