WHITEWATER, Wis. (blugolds.com) — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's basketball team fell to No. 11 UW-Whitewater 81-69 on Saturday at the Williams Center. The Blugolds got a career night from
Carter Lichtsinn (So. - Olathe, Kan./Olathe West), but it wasn't enough to knock off the 11th-ranked Warhawks in Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) action.
Lichtsinn set new career bests in scoring (24 points), rebounding (7) and steals (2). His 24 points led all scorers and he ranked second in rebounding. After the Blugolds fell behind in the first half, Lichtsinn helped them continually chip away at the Warhawks' lead in the second half. UW-Whitewater made enough plays down the stretch to pull away though.
UW-Whitewater (12-1, 2-0) opened the game with a 9-0 run to establish an immediate foothold. They led 14-2 before the Blugolds (7-6, 0-2) started stringing baskets together. A 7-0 run, which featured five points from
Michael Casper (Sr. - Merrill, Wis.) made it a five-point game as the contest inched closer to the midway point of the first half. The Blugolds were able to fully erase the deficit three minutes later, when Lichtsinn knocked down a 3-pointer to make it 19-19 with 9:06 until halftime. However, the Warhawks outscored the Blugolds 23-10 across the final nine minutes of the half to take a 42-29 advantage into the break.
A 5-0 spurt early in the second half whittled the Warhawks' lead down to nine at 45-36, but the Blugolds didn't get any closer. After another lenghty UW-Whitewater run, the Blugolds made a few more pushes to get the deficit down to single digits, but never shrunk it below nine.
Carter Huschka (Sr. - Farmington, Minn.) made a layup at the 2:25 mark to make it 71-62, but the Warhawks made 10 free throws down the stretch to ensure they would remain ahead.
Huschka scored 18 points and had seven rebounds plus five assists.
Drew Maloney (Jr. - St. Charles, Minn.) had 10 points and eight rebounds.
Caiden Lecce (So. - Kenosha, Wis./St. Joseph Catholic) had six points and dished four assists.
UW-Eau Claire shot 46% from the field and out-rebounded the Warhawks 33-29.
The Blugolds will look to pick up their first WIAC victory of the season when they visit UW-River Falls on Wednesday, January 10. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. at Don Page Arena in River Falls.
