EAU CLAIRE, Wis. —
Michael Casper (Sr. – Merrill, Wis.) capped a career day in the best way possible for the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's basketball team on Monday.
On the day Casper became the 44th player in program history to surpass 1,000 career points, he polished off his performance with the game-winning 3-pointer from the halfcourt logo with 1.4 seconds left, lifting the Blugolds past Carleton College 76-73 at the Sonnentag Event Center. Casper corralled a low pass from the floor and got his shot off with just enough time to spare, giving the Blugolds the edge in a thriller.
Casper joined the 1,000-point club in the second half, and made his biggest shot of the season to close things out and send the Blugolds into Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) play on a high note.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Casper finished with 15 points on 5 of 8 shooting from 3-point range. His game-winner moved his career total to 1,008 points.
- It capped a thriller which never saw either team lead by more than seven points.
- Neither team led by more than six in the first half, although the Knights took a 34-30 advantage into halftime.
- Carleton (7-3) went ahead by seven with just under 17 minutes left in regulation, but UW-Eau Claire (8-3) used a 10-3 run in the immediate aftermath to erase the deficit. From there, it was a one-possession game for almost the entire rest of the contest.
- Andre Renta (Jr. – Hudson, Wis.) made a pair of free throws with 1:46 left to put UW-Eau Claire ahead 73-70. The Knights tied the game with a 3-pointers with 29 seconds left, setting the stage for Casper's winner.
- The Blugolds ran the clock down before Casper connected on the haymaker with 1.4 seconds left. The Knights got a look at a game-tying attempt at the other end of the floor, but came up empty.
- Carter Huschka (Sr. – Farmington, Minn.) scored a team-high 18 points to lead the Blugolds. He also had seven rebounds. Renta finished with 13 points, five rebounds and three assists.
- The Blugolds shot 55% from the field and 48% from deep.
UP NEXT
UW-Eau Claire opens up WIAC play with a visit to No. 20 UW-La Crosse on Saturday, January 4. Tip-off is at 5 p.m. at Mitchell Hall in La Crosse. The Blugolds take a seven-game win streak into conference play.
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