RIVER FALLS, Wis. (blugolds.com) — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire women's basketball team dropped a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) contest at UW-River Falls 85-50 on Wednesday. After a tight first half, the Falcons pulled away across the final two periods to deny the Blugolds.
Kyla Overskei (So. - Maple Grove, Minn.) poured in 18 points to lead UW-Eau Claire (10-12, 4-7). It was her third-highest scoring total of the season. She also added seven rebounds to share the team lead.
Kylie Mogen (Sr. - Menomonie, Wis.) tallied 15 points for the Blugolds.
The Falcons (14-8, 5-6) scored eight of the game's first 11 points to establish an early advantage, and led by as much as eight in the early stages of the first quarter. The Blugolds didn't crumble though, slicing the deficit down to two on a couple of occasions. UW-River Falls held a 21-18 lead after the first period.
The Blugolds got their first lead early in the second quarter. Overskei hit a 3-pointer at the 8:59 mark to put UW-Eau Claire ahead 21-20, but the advantage was short-lived. The Falcons answered with their own 3 moments later and never trailed again. UW-River Falls closed the first half on a 7-2 run and led 34-28 at the break.
The Falcons started to pull away in the third quarter. They turned a 36-32 lead into an 11-point advantage with a quick 7-0 run early in the period, and managed to stretch the lead up to 16 later in the quarter. They led 53-39 entering the final quarter, where they erased any hopes of a Blugold rally by outscoring UW-Eau Claire 32-11.
UW-Eau Claire couldn't overcome a rebounding margin that favored the Falcons 49-27. The Blugolds shot 33% from the field.
Kylie Strop (Jr. - River Falls, Wis.) had eight points, seven rebounds and three assists for UW-Eau Claire.
Evelyn Walker (Jr. - Madison, Wis./La Follette) grabbed five rebounds and had two blocks.
The Blugolds will look to break a four-game slide when they host UW-Stout in a rivalry matchup on Saturday, February 10. Tip-off is at 4 p.m. at Zorn Arena, with the game beginning a War on 94 doubleheader. The Blugolds' and Blue Devils' men's teams will play following the conclusion of the women's game.
