EAU CLAIRE, Wis. — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's basketball team defeated Calvin University 88-63 on Friday night at in a rematch of the 2000 NCAA Division III National Championship game, using a 9-0 run early in the second half to turn a 41-40 lead into a 50-40 advantage. The Blugolds outscored Calvin 47-23 after halftime after holding a one-point edge at the break. UW-Eau Claire shot 31-for-51 from the field, including 10-for-20 from 3-point range, and got 40 points from its bench.
After Calvin tied it early,
Marcus Webb scored eight straight Blugolds points with two 3-pointers and two free throws to put UW-Eau Claire ahead 10-2. Calvin got back within 18-14 on a Parker Swartz 3-pointer, but the Blugolds used a 9-0 run from
Landon Wendinger,
Tyler Haney and
Joey Butz to build a 27-14 lead at 9:18. Calvin cut the margin to 33-32 on a layup at 4:09 before UWEC got a Haney layup, a
Roman Richards 3-pointer and a Butz 3-pointer during the next stretch, with Butz's basket making it 41-35 at 2:55. Jordan Scott scored Calvin's final five points, and the Blugolds led 41-40 at halftime.
The Blugolds scored the first nine points of the second half, with Richards,
Marley Baah-Yeboah and Haney contributing baskets as UW-Eau Claire moved from a 41-40 edge to a 50-40 lead at 17:37. Wendinger and Richards added inside scores as the Blugolds made six straight field goals early in the half, but Calvin later got baskets from Parker Swartz and JT McIllwain to make it 59-47. UWEC pushed back with an 8-0 stretch, getting two 3-pointers from Butz and a Wendinger layup to build a 67-47 lead at 9:35. The Blugolds kept adding to the margin down the stretch, including a Haney 3-pointer, late baskets from
Noah Maniscalco and
Colin Schultz, and finished off an 88-63 win.
Wendinger scored 21 points, converted 9 of 12 free throws and collected seven rebounds. Haney finished with 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting and added three rebounds. Butz scored 14 points and made four 3-pointers. Richards added 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.
UW-Eau Claire begins the season 1-0 overall, while Calvin starts 0-1.
Up next, UW-Eau Claire hosts Macalester College on Monday, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m. at Sonnentag Event Center in Eau Claire, Wis.
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