EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (blugolds.com) — The second half made the difference as the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's basketball team dropped a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) contest 88-67 against UW-Oshkosh on Saturday at Zorn Arena. Only one point separated the two teams at halftime, but the Titans outscored the Blugolds 52-32 after halftime to pull away.
UW-Oshkosh (10-11, 3-7) caught fire after the break, shooting 69% from the field across the final 20 minutes. It was too much scoring to overcome for UW-Eau Claire (8-13, 1-9). The Blugolds shot the ball at a 45% clip, but it wasn't enough to keep up in the second half.
A sluggish start for UW-Eau Claire was quickly overturned. UW-Oshkosh scored the first seven points of the game, but UW-Eau Claire went on a 21-6 run across the next seven minutes to build an eight-point lead with 11 minutes left in the half. The Blugolds' advantage eventually grew to nine before the Titans started to heat up again.
UW-Oshkosh closed the gap with help from a 13-0 run that saw them storm into the lead with roughly five minutes left until halftime. The two sides traded swings across the final five minutes, and UW-Oshkosh carried a 36-35 lead into the break.
The game was still within reach across the first five minutes of the second half, with neither side leading by more than two possessions. However, an 11-0 Titans run put them ahead by 15 with 11 minutes to go, and the Blugolds weren't able to recover. UW-Oshkosh continued to knock down shots, thwarting any hopes of a UW-Eau Claire comeback the rest of the way. The lead remained in double figures for the rest of the contest.
Carter Huschka (Sr. - Farmington, Minn.) scored 15 points and grabbed six rebounds to lead the Blugolds.
Cade Hall (Sr. - Mauston, Wis.) had nine points and six boards.
Nolan Blair (Sr. - Stevens Point, Wis.) also scored nine points.
Michael Casper (Sr. - Merrill, Wis.) and
Carter Lichtsinn (So. - Olathe, Kan./Olathe West) had eight points each.
Gunnar Tebon (Sr. - Sturgeon Bay, Wis.) scored seven.
The Titans won the rebounding battle 31-25. They scored 54 points in the paint compared to 26 for the Blugolds.
UW-Eau Claire is back at home on Wednesday, February 7. The Blugolds host UW-River Falls in a WIAC tilt at Zorn Arena, with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m. The team will be hosting a Garding Against Cancer fundraiser during the contest against the Falcons.
