EAU CLAIRE, Wis. — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's basketball team saw its upset bid come up just short in a 60-55 loss to No. 6 UW-La Crosse on Saturday at the Sonnentag Event Center. The Blugolds held a 10-point lead over the sixth-ranked Eagles in the second half, but couldn't hold off their rally and saw their five-game Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) win streak snapped.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Blugolds (14-7, 6-4) led by nine in the first half and grew the advantage to double figures with 14 minutes to go. The Eagles (17-4, 8-2) did enough down the stretch to rally though. They held UW-Eau Claire to 20 points in the second half.
- UW-Eau Claire outscored UW-La Crosse 15-7 across the final eight minutes of the first half to gain a foothold. It put an end to a back-and-forth affair and gave the Blugolds a 35-28 lead entering halftime.
- The Blugolds stayed in the lead until just past the 10-minute mark of the second half. A layup from Andre Renta (Jr. - Hudson, Wis.) had put them ahead by 10 at 43-33 with 14:04 to go, but UW-La Crosse embarked on a 12-1 run from there to surge into the lead with 10 minutes left.
- The WIAC foes traded leads for the next seven minutes, until UW-La Crosse went in front for good with a layup at the 2:53 mark. It was the start of an 8-2 Eagles run to close the game. The Eagles held the Blugolds without a field goal in the final three minutes of action, and did enough with their free throws to hold on.
- Carter Huschka (Sr. - Farmington, Minn.) had 19 points and 11 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season.
- Renta finished with 17 points and four rebounds. Cade Hall (Sr. - Mauston, Wis.) had eight points and eight rebounds.
- UW-Eau Claire shot 42% from the field in the first half, but 26% after halftime. They shot 35% overall.
UP NEXT
The Blugolds will host No. 4 UW-Platteville for a WIAC matchup on Wednesday, February 12. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. at the Sonnentag Event Center.
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