EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (blugolds.com) — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's basketball team saw a second-half rally fall just short in a 74-69 defeat to No. 19 UW-Platteville on Wednesday at Zorn Arena. The Blugolds nearly overturned a 16-point deficit, but couldn't quite close the gap in their Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) opener.
A strong finish to the first half saw the Pioneers (10-2, 1-0) turn a one-point advantage into a 16-point lead with a minute and a half left until halftime, but they couldn't put the Blugolds (7-5, 0-1) away. UW-Eau Claire clamped down defensively in the second half and pulled within three of the lead in the closing minute, but UW-Platteville managed to ice the game away at the free throw line.
The Pioneers hit nine 3-pointers in a first-half barrage to establish the large lead, but the Blugolds held them to only two in the second half to get back in the game.
"I thought we did a much better job in the second half guarding the 3-point line and keeping the game within reach," Blugolds head coach
Matt Siverling said. "It was just a matter of getting the stops down the stretch that we needed, and we just weren't able to get those."
There wasn't much separation between either side across the first 10 minutes of the contest. The 19th-ranked Pioneers held a slim 19-18 advantage midway through the first half, but then made four 3-pointers as part of a 16-2 run that propelled them in front. The Blugolds countered with a 14-7 spurt to close out the half though, spurred on by a couple of 3-pointers in the closing minute of the half.
Michael Casper (Sr. - Merrill, Wis.) scored seven points across the first five minutes of the second half to help UW-Eau Claire slice the deficit to four points at 48-44. The Pioneers managed to stay in front for the rest of the half, but the Blugolds made a final surge in a bid for an upset. An 11-2 run after the clock ticked past the four-minute mark saw them pull within three of the lead at 72-69, with a Casper 3-pointer making it a one-possession game with 11 seconds left. But UW-Platteville made a couple of free throws at the other end of the court, and the Blugolds didn't get any closer.
Casper finished with a season-high 21 points to lead UW-Eau Claire.
Carter Huschka (Sr. - Farmington, Minn.) had 16 points, eight rebounds and three assists.
Carter Lichtsinn (So. - Olathe, Kan./Olathe West) tallied 10 points.
Gunnar Tebon (Sr. - Sturgeon Bay, Wis.) had nine points, rebounds and three steals.
The Blugolds shot 44% from the field. After the Pioneers shot 56% from 3-point range in the first half, UW-Eau Claire held them to 22% in the second half. UW-Platteville shot 47% from the field overall.
UW-Eau Claire will take on a ranked opponent for the second straight contest when it travels to UW-Whitewater on Saturday, January 6. Tip-off against the 11th-ranked Warhawks is scheduled for 5 p.m. at Kachel Gymnasium.
