LA CROSSE, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's basketball team lost to fourth-ranked UW-La Crosse 69-55 in the semifinals of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Tournament (Presented by Culver's) on Wednesday at Mitchell Hall. The Eagles pulled away early in the second half to dash the Blugolds' hopes of a conference tournament title.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- UW-Eau Claire (17-9) pulled level with No. 4 UW-La Crosse (22-4) early in the second half, but the Eagles dealt the decisive blow with a 24-4 run that spanned nearly 11 minutes.
- The Blugolds, playing without second-leading scorer Andre Renta (Jr. – Hudson, Wis.), kept pace with the Eagles in the first half but couldn't survive their cold streak in the second. UW-La Crosse held UW-Eau Claire scoreless for a stretch of seven and a half minutes.
- The Eagles' surge saw a game tied at 32 turn into a 20-point lead in favor of the host.
- Facing a 20-point deficit with under seven minutes to go, the Blugolds could only get as close as 12 the rest of the way.
- Carter Huschka (Sr. – Farmington, Minn.) led UW-Eau Claire with 19 points and 10 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season.
- Michael Casper (Sr. – Merrill, Wis.) and Carter Lichtsinn (Jr. – Olathe, Kan./Olathe West) added 11 points and five rebounds apiece.
- UW-Eau Claire shot 38% from the field and 20% from 3-point range. The Eagles shot 41% overall.
UP NEXT
The Blugolds will await the announcement of the NCAA Tournament field on Monday, March 3, to see if their season will continue. The selection show begins at 11 a.m.
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