EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (blugolds.com) — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire women's basketball team dropped a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) contest to UW-River Falls 54-50 on Wednesday at Zorn Arena. The Blugolds held a slim lead in the closing minutes of the game, but couldn't hold on as the Falcons rallied to a victory.
UW-Eau Claire went ahead 49-48 when
Olivia Pekron (Jr. - Forest Lake, Minn.) made a layup with 1:35 remaining. However, a Falcons basket with 47 seconds left put UW-River Falls ahead for good. The Falcons made three free throws down the stretch to hold on for the win.
Kylie Strop (Jr. - River Falls, Wis.) had a game-high 16 points for UW-Eau Claire (7-7, 1-2). She also had six rebounds and three assists.
Brianna Nelson (Sr. - Augusta, Wis./Eleva-Strum) added 13 points and four rebounds, and
Evelyn Walker (Jr. - Madison, Wis./La Follette) had 10 points.
The game was close throughout, with neither team leading by more than nine. The Falcons (10-4, 1-2) held a 44-35 advantage with 6:09 left in the fourth-quarter, but some late-game heroics by the Blugolds pulled UW-Eau Claire back in it. A 14-4 run, powered by 3-pointers from Nelson and
Lucia Hauge (Jr. - Hugo, Minn./St. Croix Lutheran Academy) thrust the Blugolds in front at 49-48, but the Falcons had one final surge.
UW-River Falls led by three at the end of the first quarter and sported a one-point advantage at halftime. An early run in the second half put the Blugolds ahead, but UW-River Falls closed on a hot streak of its own to take a five-point lead into the final period.
UW-Eau Claire shot 37% from the field and out-rebounded the Falcons 38-36. Hauge had seven of those rebounds to lead the team. The Blugolds nabbed five steals and tallied four blocks.
The Blugolds will look to get back in the win column when they travel to take on UW-Stevens Point on Saturday, January 13. Tip-off is at 3 p.m. in Stevens Point.
