EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (blugolds.com) — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's basketball team picked up its first Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) victory of the season by surging past UW-Stevens Point 82-73 on Saturday at Zorn Arena. With the game tied and just under four minutes left to play, the Blugolds ripped off a 13-1 run to pull away in the final minutes.
The Blugolds (8-7, 1-3) had established some breathing room midway through the second half, building an 11-point lead with 8:37 left to play. But the Pointers (8-7, 2-2) responded in a big way, embarking on an 11-0 run to tie the game at 61 with 5:24 left. However, a basket by
Cade Hall (Sr. - Mauston, Wis.) started the big run for the Blugolds, with the spurt featuring a pair of 3-pointers from
Michael Casper (Sr. - Merrill, Wis.) to put UW-Eau Claire ahead by 12 with less than a minute remaining. It was too big of a swing for the Pointers to overcome and snapped a three-game losing skid for the Blugolds.
Casper poured in a career-best 26 points with the help of five 3-pointers to lead UW-Eau Claire. He also had five rebounds and a pair of assists.
Drew Maloney (Jr. - St. Charles, Minn.) followed up a career night on Wednesday by scoring 17 points and grabbing six rebounds against the Pointers. Maloney averaged 18 points and 9.5 rebounds per game across the Blugolds' two contests this week.
Points were hard to come by in a sluggish first half, where the Pointers built a 29-27 advantage heading into halftime. Neither team led by more than six before the break. The pace picked up in the second half though, where the Blugolds erupted for 55 points.
3-pointers by Maloney and Casper and a few baskets by
Carter Lichtsinn (So. - Olathe, Kan./Olathe West) helped the Blugolds get ahead by 11 points at 61-50 with 8:37 remaining. It was part of a 20-9 swing for UW-Eau Claire that spanned about six minutes of action. However, the Pointers held the Blugolds scoreless over the next three minutes to claw back and tie the game at 61. It set the stage for the final hot stretch from the Blugolds.
UW-Eau Claire had four scorers in double figures. Lichtsinn finished with 12 points and four rebounds.
Carter Huschka (Sr. - Farmington, Minn.) scored 10 points, had eight rebounds and made four blocks. Hall finished with eight points, five rebounds and three assists.
Casper surpassed the 750-point mark in his Blugolds career in the victory. Huschka grabbed his 250th rebound and is now 25 points away from 500 for his career.
UW-Eau Claire will look to start a win streak when it visits UW-Stout on Wednesday, January 17. A women's and men's basketball doubleheader tips off at 6 p.m. with the women's game, followed by the men at approximately 8 p.m. in Menomonie.
