SUPERIOR, Wis. (blugolds.com) — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's basketball team ran its win streak to five by defeating UW-Superior 67-48 on the road on Wednesday. The Blugolds used a surge late in the first half to get a cushion, and ran away with it in the second half for a fifth straight victory.
Each victory in the win streak has been by a double-digit margin. The Blugolds (6-3) haven't lost in nearly a month and have an average margin of victory of 22.6 points over their last five contests.
A balanced attack led the Blugolds on Wednesday. Six players scored at least five points, with three finishing in double figures.
Carter Huschka (Sr. - Farmington, Minn.) and
Michael Casper (Sr. - Merrill, Wis.) shared the game high with 14 points, and
Cade Hall (Sr. - Mauston, Wis.) added 12 of his own.
There wasn't much to split the two teams across the first 17 minutes of the contest. However, UW-Eau Claire turned a 21-20 lead into a 29-22 advantage with an 8-2 run across the final three minutes of the first half to take a comfortable lead into halftime. Hall scored six points in that stretch.
The lead continued to grow in the second half as the Blugolds began to pull away. UW-Eau Claire opened the second half on a 13-2 run to put the game out of reach for good, with Huschka scoring six points in the surge. The lead ballooned as UW-Superior (6-4) struggled to get shots to fall, and the Blugolds eventually led by as much as 25 with four minutes remaining.
UW-Eau Claire won the rebounding battle 37-28 and nabbed 12 steals to make things tough on the Yellowjackets.
Nolan Blair (Sr. - Stevens Point, Wis.) had a career-high four steals to lead the way.
The Blugolds shot 44% from the field and 32% from 3-point range.
Gunnar Tebon (Sr. - Sturgeon Bay, Wis.) had nine points. Blair and
Carter Lichtsinn (So. - Olathe, Kan./Olathe West) scored five points each. Huschka and Hall shared the team high with seven rebounds.
UW-Eau Claire competes again this weekend. The Blugolds visit Bethel (Minn.) on Saturday, December 16, for a 1 p.m. tip-off.
