LEXINGTON, Ky. (
www.blugolds.com) – The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire women's basketball team concluded play in the Gratz Park Private Wealth Holiday Tournament on Saturday as they faced off against the host team, #2 ranked Transylvania University Pioneers. Despite a big second quarter and three Blugolds recording 12 or more points, Eau Claire fell in the tournament final, 59-71.
UW-Eau Claire found themselves with an early deficit as the Pioneers flew out to a 10-0 start.
Kylie Strop (Jr. – River Falls, Wis.) and the Blugolds answered the call moments later as Strop recorded her first two baskets, along with a jump shot from
Lucia Hauge (Jr. – Hugo, Minn./St. Croix Lutheran), to cut the Pioneer lead to just four points. An 11-6 run by Transylvania ended the first quarter with a 12-21 UWEC deficit.
The second quarter held the highest scoring quarter for the Blugolds as they shot 57.1% from the floor.
Anna Koth (Jr. – Maple Grove, Minn./Wayzata) tallied 6 of her 12 total points in the second quarter as UW-Eau Claire made a late seven point run before halftime to close the score line to just four points. Koth knocked down two shots from beyond the arc in the final six minutes of the first half to add to the Eau Claire scoring surge.
Brianna Nelson (Sr. – Augusta, Wis./Eleva-Strum) added a three-pointer of her own as Strop dished out four of her nine total assists in the second quarter.
As both teams hit the floor for the second half, UWEC looked to overcome the 36-32 deficit to the #2 ranked Pioneers.
Anna Koth kept the hot hand from beyond the arc as she cut the Transylvania lead to just three points in the opening minutes of the second half.
Evelyn Walker (Jr. – Madison, Wis./La Follette) checked back into the game halfway through the third quarter and recorded four of her eight total points as the Blugolds kept chipping away at their five-point deficit. Free throws from both teams in the final minutes brought the contest to the final quarter with UWEC down, 51-44.
In the fourth quarter,
Kylie Mogen (Sr. – Menomonie, Wis.) led the Blugolds with six of her thirteen points as she recorded her second double-double of the weekend (13p, 10r).
Kylie Strop added four assists in the final ten minutes as UWEC closed the deficit to as low as eight points, but time would be a second opponent for the visitors as the clock wound down to zero and Eau Claire took their fifth loss of the season.
The Blugolds (6-5) will return to Eau Claire and gear up for Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) play on Wednesday, January 3
rd when they travel to UW-Platteville to being their conference schedule. Tipoff from Bo Ryan Court is scheduled for 7 p.m.
