PLATTEVILLE, Wis. (blugolds.com) — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's basketball team saw its upset bid fall just short against No. 14 UW-Platteville in a 76-73 defeat on Wednesday at Bo Ryan Court. The Blugolds led their highly ranked foe by as much as 16 in the second half, but couldn't hold on to secure an upset Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) victory.
The Blugolds (8-12, 1-8) held a 16-point lead with 14 minutes remaining in regulation, but the 14th-ranked Pioneers (17-3, 8-1) outscored them 41-22 down the stretch to survive.
Carter Huschka (Sr. - Farmington, Minn.) set a new career scoring high for the second time in a week, putting up 26 points to lead the Blugolds.
Drew Maloney (Jr. - St. Charles, Minn.) also set a new career best with 22 points.
UW-Eau Claire got out to a strong start, pulling ahead 20-12 at the 12:30 mark with help from a 7-0 spurt. The Blugolds remained ahead for the rest of the first half, leading by at least six the rest of the way until halftime. They posted a 59% shooting percentage in the opening half and knocked down 44% of their attempts from beyond the arc. Maloney had 13 points in the period and Huschka added 10. UW-Eau Claire led 38-28 at halftime.
Another fast start, this time in the second half, gave the Blugolds their largest lead of the game. They scored 13 of the first 20 points in the second half and went ahead 51-35 on a layup from Maloney at the 14:12 mark. UW-Eau Claire led by 10 with 12 minutes left, but the Pioneers chipped away from there. Their took their first lead of the second half on a 3-pointer to make it 69-67 with 2:33 left. A free throw by Huschka with 2:14 to go gave the Blugolds their final lead at 70-69 before UW-Platteville hit another go-ahead 3-pointer with 57 seconds left. The Blugolds later cut the lead to one with a 3 of their own in the closing seconds, but the Pioneers iced the game away at the free throw line to hold on.
UW-Eau Claire finished with a 52% shooting percentage and hit 7 of 18 3-pointers. The Pioneers shot 49% overall, and 52% after halftime.
Michael Casper (Sr. - Merrill, Wis.) and
Gunnar Tebon (Sr. - Sturgeon Bay, Wis.) had eight points each.
Cade Hall (Sr. - Mauston, Wis.) led the team with nine rebounds.
The Blugolds return to the court on Saturday, February 3, when they host UW-Oshkosh at Zorn Arena. Tip-off is at 5 p.m., and the Blugolds will be hosting Alumni Night.
