PLATTEVILLE, Wis. — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's basketball team led for nearly 30 minutes of action, but saw its upset bid fall short against No. 1 UW-Platteville on Wednesday at Bo Ryan Court. The Blugolds, seeking their first win over a No. 1 team in the D3hoops.com national poll era, couldn't hold off the reigning Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) champions down the stretch.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- UW-Eau Claire (9-6, 1-3) led for nearly the entirety of the opening half and held a nine-point advantage at multiple instances in the second half. The top-ranked Pioneers (14-1, 4-0) were able to mount a rally in the closing minutes to escape the deficit.
- The Blugolds rode a gargantuan effort from Carter Huschka (Sr. - Farmington, Minn.), who tied his career high with 28 points. He was also the team's leading rebounder and assister with eight boards and four assists.
- A go-ahead layup from Huschka with just under 16 and a half minutes left in the first half put UW-Eau Claire ahead 10-8 and the Blugolds were in front the rest of the half. An 8-2 run which featured back-to-back 3-pointers by Drew Maloney (Sr. - St. Charles, Minn.) grew UW-Eau Claire's advantage to nine points at 28-19 with 7:41 to go in the half.
- The Pioneers pulled within four by halftime, but the Blugolds took a 39-35 lead into the locker room.
- The Blugolds restored their advantage to nine points twice in the second half, both times within the first two and a half minutes of the period.
- UW-Eau Claire remained ahead until the 8:36 mark, when the Pioneers hit a go-ahead 3-pointer to go in front 59-58. The two teams traded swings from there before UW-Platteville closed the game on a 14-4 run to emerge unscathed.
- Andre Renta (Jr. - Hudson, Wis.) scored 17 points and dished four assists for the Blugolds. Maloney finished with eight points and five rebounds.
- UW-Eau Claire shot 49% from the field but just 25% from 3-point range. The Pioneers shot 48% overall and 30% from deep. UW-Platteville went 16 of 16 at the free throw line.
UP NEXT
The Blugolds are on the road at UW-Whitewater on Saturday, January 18. Tip-off is at 5 p.m. at Kachel Gymnasium.
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