EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (blugolds.com) — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire women's basketball team cruised past Bethany Lutheran 91-60 on Friday at Zorn Arena. Fourteen different players scored in a well-rounded effort that got the Blugolds back in the win column.
UW-Eau Claire (3-3) built a big lead in the first quarter and never looked back. Five players scored in double figures in the win, led by 14 points from
Kylie Mogen (Sr. - Menomonie, Wis.).
Anna Koth (Jr. - Maple Grove, Minn./Wayzata) and
Brianna Nelson (Sr. - Augusta, Wis./Eleva-Strum) added 11 each, and
Kyla Overskei (So. - Maple Grove, Minn.) and
Katie Pampuch (Jr. - Hubertus, Wis./Germantown) chipped in with 10 apiece. UW-Eau Claire got 42 bench points.
The Blugolds held a huge advantage on the glass, out-rebounding the Vikings 56-30. UW-Eau Claire also blocked seven shots. It all added up to a third win in the team's last four games.
The Blugolds opened the game with a 14-3 run and trailed for a total of 13 seconds in the whole game. Mogen scored six points during the early run. Bethany Lutheran (0-6) pulled within six shortly after, but the Blugolds kept up the pressure to continually pull away. UW-Eau Claire used an 11-2 run later in the period to establish a 15-point advantage, and the Blugolds led 25-13 after the first.
That advantage continued to grow in the second quarter. UW-Eau Claire poured in 25 more points in the period to get ahead by as much as 23. The Blugolds shot 69% from the field in the second quarter.
A strong start to the third quarter ensured UW-Eau Claire's lead would hover around 30 points the rest of the way. The Blugolds knocked down four 3-pointers in the third quarter and three more in the fourth. They shot 36% from 3-point range in the contest.
In addition to the five players in double figures,
Olivia Pekron (Jr. - Forest Lake, Minn.) had eight points and eight rebounds, and
Kylie Strop (Jr. - River Falls, Wis.) had six points and five rebounds. Nelson finished with seven rebounds and four assists, and Mogen added five boards. Nine Blugolds scored at least five points.
The Blugolds have an eight-day break between contests. They're next on the court on Saturday, December 9, at Wisconsin Lutheran. Tip-off is at 7:15 p.m. in Milwaukee.
