EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (blugolds.com) — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire women's basketball team rallied past UW-La Crosse for a 72-63 victory on Alumni Day at Zorn Arena on Saturday. The Eagles held a slim lead as the fourth quarter approached the halfway point, but the Blugolds outscored their opponent 14-3 across the final six-plus minutes to earn a second straight Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) victory.
With the Blugolds trailing 60-58 with five minutes left in regulation,
Kylie Strop (Jr. - River Falls, Wis.) hit a go-ahead 3-pointer to give UW-Eau Claire the lead for good. It started the 14-3 run that won the Blugolds (9-8, 3-3) the game.
"It's significant because this team that I feel is very young is starting to find their niche and their identity," Blugolds head coach
Tonja Englund said. "It's fun to coach it just because we're evolving. I love how hard we're playing. I just felt like a lot of times it was second chance(s), it was energy that made a difference for us tonight — something that I've been preaching. I'm sure they're sick of hearing me say it, but I think that they're grasping that. I really liked the team effort tonight."
Kylie Mogen (Sr. - Menomonie, Wis.) poured in a game-high 21 points for the Blugolds. In all, UW-Eau Claire had four players in double figures.
Olivia Pekron (Jr. - Forest Lake, Minn.),
Kyla Overskei (So. - Maple Grove, Minn.) and Strop all had 14 points. Pekron earned her third double-double of the season by grabbing a career-high 15 rebounds. Strop and Mogen added eight rebounds apiece. The Blugolds dominated the glass, out-rebounding the Eagles 50-39.
UW-La Crosse (9-8, 2-4) ran out to a 17-12 lead after the first quarter, riding a 10-0 run to get ahead of the Blugolds. They continued to grow the advantage in the second quarter, going ahead by as much as 13. However, UW-Eau Claire put together a 16-0 run to surge into the lead during the later stages of the period. The Eagles still led 34-32 at halftime.
The Blugolds started the third quarter well and led by six in the closing minutes of the period. They took a 54-51 lead into the final quarter.
A jumper at the 6:21 mark put UW-La Crosse ahead 60-58, but it was all Blugolds from there. Strop scored six during the game-winning run.
UW-Eau Claire shot 44% from the field.
Anna Koth (Jr. - Maple Grove, Minn./Wayzata) had seven points.
The Blugolds will look for a third straight win when they host No. 21 UW-Oshkosh on Wednesday, January 24. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. at Zorn Arena.
