EAU CLAIRE, Wis. — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire women's basketball team defeated Carroll (WI) (0-2) 79-61 on Sunday as they wrapped up their annual Tip Off Tournament at the Sonnentag Event Center. Highlighted by a 13-0 third-quarter run that moved the score from 40-35 to 53-35, the Blugolds finished with 20 assists and 13 steals, scoring 23 points off turnovers. UWEC made ten 3-pointers and held a 38-36 edge in points in the paint. The teams finished even with 31 rebounds apiece, while the Blugolds had a 10-7 advantage in second-chance points.
Karsyn Bauman's layup at 9:32 started the Blugolds' 11-0 opening run, with
Macie Miller,
Mary Berg and
Emma Hanson each hitting a 3-pointer before Carroll called timeout at 7:02. After Katie Barger got the Pioneers on the board with a free throw,
Kailey Tulachka knocked down UW-Eau Claire's fourth 3-pointer of the quarter at 5:15 to make it 14-1. Carroll hit a 3-pointer,
Mia Banks answered with a layup, and Payton Hayes scored after an offensive rebound before Bauman's layup pushed the Blugolds to an 18-6 lead at 1:55. Kacy Kratz scored inside and added a free throw at 1:40, but
Addy Verhagen converted a layup and free throw at :55, and UWEC finished the quarter ahead 21-9.
In the second, Berg hit a 3-pointer at 9:11 and Miller added a fastbreak layup after a Berg steal, giving the Blugolds a 26-11 lead early. Carroll (WI) answered with six straight points, including a Katie Barger steal and layup and two Barger free throws, to cut the margin to 26-17.
Brooklynn Birt,
Karsyn Bauman and Miller helped UW-Eau Claire rebuild the advantage to 32-21 with 5:15 left, but the Blugolds did not score again in the quarter. Carroll (WI) closed the second quarter with baskets from Ryann Wendt and a late Julia Lokker 3-pointer at :22, trimming UWEC's lead to 32-28 at halftime.
Macie Miller scored the first five Blugolds points of the third quarter, hitting a 3-pointer off
Karsyn Bauman's assist and adding a layup off an assist from
Mary Berg to make it 37-28. Carroll (WI) cut the gap to 40-35 by 7:08, with Katie Barger scoring twice and Kacy Kratz converting a layup and free throw after
Addy Verhagen's 3-pointer had pushed UW-Eau Claire back ahead by 10. Out of a timeout, the Blugolds scored 13 straight points from 6:49 to 3:51, getting baskets from Berg, Miller, Banks and Verhagen while Hanson and Tulachka added steals during the stretch to make it 53-35. Julia Lokker stopped the run with a free throw and later added a jumper for Carroll (WI), but Berg hit 3-pointers at 2:21 and :56, Verhagen added a layup and a later free throw, and UWEC took a 62-40 lead into the fourth quarter.
Tulachka answered an early Carroll basket with a 3-pointer at 9:15, moving the Blugolds in front 65-42. The Pioneers worked back through the middle of the fourth quarter, with Julia Lokker and Ryann Wendt scoring inside before Katie Barger's layup made it 67-55. Wendt added a layup and free throw at 2:40 to bring Carroll within 69-61, but Bauman scored off a Berg assist on the next UW-Eau Claire possession. The Blugolds closed the game on a 10-0 run, adding an
Emma Hanson layup, free throws from
Macie Miller and
Brooklynn Birt and a final Miller layup to finish off a 79-61 win.
Macie Miller scored 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting and added three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Mary Berg finished with 16 points, four 3-pointers, four rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Addy Verhagen recorded 13 points and a team-high seven assists.
Brooklynn Birt collected a team-high eight rebounds and added four points.
UW-Eau Claire improves to 2-0 overall, while Carroll drops to 0-2 overall. This is the first time UWEC has began their season 2-0 since 2022.
Up next, the Blugolds travel to Milwaukee, Wis., to face Wisconsin Lutheran College on Friday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m. at Time of Grace Center.
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