OSHKOSH, Wis. (blugolds.com) — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's basketball team got big performances from
Carter Huschka (Sr. - Farmington, Minn.) and
Nolan Blair (Sr. - Stevens Point, Wis.), but fell to UW-Oshkosh 83-71 on Wednesday at Kolf Sports Center. Huschka and Blair set new career highs in scoring, but the Titans managed to pull away down the stretch in an otherwise close contest.
It was a one-point game with just under 10 minutes left to play, but UW-Oshkosh (9-9, 2-5) broke it open with a 10-0 run from there that spanned three-plus minutes. UW-Eau Claire (8-10, 1-6) pulled within six of the lead with three minutes to go, but couldn't get any closer in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) tilt.
Huschka led all scorers with 22 points, and Blair was close behind with 18. In addition to the game high in scoring, Huschka also posted game bests with eight rebounds and four assists.
UW-Eau Claire had the first big swing of the game, opening up a 16-9 lead across the first six and a half minutes of the contest. The Titans pulled back and regained the lead a few minutes later though, and eventually went ahead by eight in the late stages of the opening half. The Blugolds made it a more manageable 38-35 halftime deficit by closing the period on a 5-0 run, with all the scoring coming from Blair.
The Blugolds pulled ahead at several points early in the second half, but never led by more than three. Their final lead of the game came at the 13:30 mark, when
Carter Lichtsinn (So. - Olathe, Kan./Olathe West) made a layup to make it a 49-48 Blugold advantage. The Titans scored 23 seconds later to retake the lead for good.
A layup from
Cade Hall (Sr. - Mauston, Wis.) cut UW-Oshkosh's advantage down to 59-58 with 9:10 left, but the Titans scored the next 10 points from there. Blair ended the scoreless stretch with a 3-pointer nearly four minutes later, but the Blugolds couldn't get the deficit below six the rest of the way.
The Blugolds out-rebounded the Titans 35-27, but UW-Oshkosh made their possessions count with a 59% shooting percentage. UW-Eau Claire shot 41%.
Lichtsinn and Hall had nine points apiece.
Caiden Lecce (So. - Kenosha, Wis./St. Joseph Catholic) scored seven points.
UW-Eau Claire will look to get back in the win column when it hosts No. 21 UW-Whitewater for a WIAC contest on Saturday, January 21. Tip-off is at 5 p.m. at Zorn Arena.
