MENOMONIE, Wis. — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire women's basketball team saw its comeback bid fall just short in a 73-70 loss to No. 15 UW-Stout on Wednesday at Johnson Fieldhouse. The Blugolds trailed by 18 with two minutes left in the third quarter before storming back, but the Blue Devils managed to fend off the rally in the closing moments of the game.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- UW-Eau Claire (6-11, 1-5) stayed with UW-Stout (14-3, 5-1) during the first half. The Blugolds never led, but stayed within five points of the 15th-ranked Blue Devils for almost the entirety of the first two quarters. UW-Stout led 21-16 at the end of the first and 35-32 at halftime.
- The Blue Devils' largest lead of the first half was eight points early in the second quarter, but UW-Eau Claire immediately went on an 8-0 run to erase the deficit.
- UW-Stout opened the second half with a 13-0 run to open up a 16-point lead. It later grew to 18 when the Blue Devils hit a 3-pointer with 2:24 left in the third quarter.
- The Blugolds immediately started their rally from there. They closed the third quarter with a 10-0 spurt to pull within eight at 55-48 entering the fourth. Reanna Hutchinson (Jr. - Eau Claire, Wis./North) and Kyla Overskei (Jr. - Maple Grove, Minn.) both hit 3-pointers as part of that run.
- UW-Stout went ahead by 13 with 7:04 left in regulation, but another 3-pointer from Overskei started an 11-0 run that narrowed the gap to 66-64 with 4:43 left to play. The Blugolds couldn't pull level though. They trimmed the deficit to 71-70 on a Hutchinson 3-pointer with 14 seconds left, but UW-Stout made a pair of free throws and got a stop at the other end to hold on for the victory. The Blue Devils went 4 of 6 from the free throw line in the final 30 seconds of the game.
- Overskei scored a season-high 25 points to lead UW-Eau Claire. Hutchinson finished with 17 points and four rebounds. Lauren Meudt (Jr. - Waunakee, Wis.) tallied 11 points and seven rebounds, while Jessilyn Ernst (So. - Pardeeville, Wis.) added five points and eight rebounds.
- UW-Eau Claire shot 52% from the field, but couldn't overcome 22 turnovers.
UP NEXT
The Blugolds will visit UW-Stevens Point on Saturday, January 25. Tip-off is at 3 p.m. at Berg Gym in Stevens Point.
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