LA CROSSE, Wis. (blugolds.com) — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's basketball team dropped a road contest at UW-La Crosse 84-68 on Saturday at Mitchell Hall. The Blugolds led with 13:30 remaining in regulation, but a 14-2 run by the Eagles flipped the script and was too much for UW-Eau Claire to overcome down the stretch.
The Blugolds (8-9, 1-5) had four players score in double figures, led by
Cade Hall (Sr. - Mauston, Wis.) with 15 points. He also had five rebounds.
Carter Huschka (Sr. - Farmington, Minn.) added 13 points and six rebounds.
UW-Eau Claire did well to respond after UW-La Crosse (10-7, 4-2) scored the first nine points of the game. The Blugolds trailed by as much as 13 in the early parts of the first half, but clawed their way back into the game. They closed the half on a 12-3 run to pull within three at 31-28 by halftime.
Michael Casper (Sr. - Merrill, Wis.) and
Carter Lichtsinn (So. - Olathe, Kan./Olathe West) had five points each during the surge.
The Blugolds took their first lead of the night early in the second half when Hall hit a layup to put his side up 32-31 with just under 18 minutes left. The two sides traded swings from there. Hall hit another layup at the 13:39 mark to put UW-Eau Claire up 43-42, but it was the Blugolds' last lead of the day. A layup at the other end started the 14-2 run for the Eagles, putting UW-La Crosse ahead 56-45 in a span of less than three minutes.
The Eagles continued to stretch their lead from there, going ahead by as much as 16 by the end of the game.
Caiden Lecce (So. - Kenosha, Wis./St. Joseph Catholic) and
Drew Maloney (Jr. - St. Charles, Minn.) had 11 points apiece for UW-Eau Claire. Casper finished with nine points and Lichtsinn scored seven. The Blugolds shot 36% collectively and out-rebounded the Eagles 43-39.
UW-Eau Claire will look for its second Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) win of the season when it visits UW-Oshkosh on Wednesday, January 24. Game time is 7 p.m. at Kolf Sports Center.
