EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (blugolds.com) – The UW-Eau Claire men's basketball team nearly upending UW-Whitewater in Zorn Arena Wednesday night, falling 61-62.
After a slow start that saw the Blugolds down 13-5 with 14 minutes to go in the first half, UW-Eau Claire went on a 14-6 run to tie the game at 19. The Blugolds and Warhawks would trade baskets the rest of the half, with Whitewater taking a 31-29 lead at the half.
While Whitewater had an edge in overall field goal percentage, 41.9 percent to Eau Claire's 38.5 percent, the Blugolds were 46.3 percent for three's while the Warhawks shot 30.8 percent.
Great defense by the Blugolds kept the game tight in the second, as did key offensive rebounds, led by Jacob Kohner (Jr.-Bloomington, MN) and Lewis Mau (Sr.-Colfax, WI).
Jack Martinek (So.-New Brighton, MN) hit a jumper with just over 2 minutes left to bring the home squad within one, 54-55. A big defensive stop and three-point play by Tyson Kalien (Jr.-Chippewa Falls, WI) gave the Blugolds the lead 57-55.
The Warhawks came right back to tie it again, but huge offensive rebounds kept the Blugolds alive, with Martinek nailing a jumper to take the lead 59-57 with 29.7 seconds to go.
However, Whitewater answered with a three-point play of their own to take the lead yet again.
Coming off a timeout with 9.1 seconds remaining, Martinek converted a layup to regain the lead, but a quick Warhawk layup saw the Blugolds down 61-62 with 1.2 seconds left. The Blugolds managed to get a shot off before the buzzer but came up just short.
Kalien and Martinek led the way for the Blugolds, each scoring a game-high 19 points. Mau and Kohner tallied 10 and 8 rebounds, respectively.
The Blugold bench played a key role, outscoring Whitewater's bench 26-6. They also outrebounded the Warhawks 41-33.
The Blugolds (6-9, 2-4 WIAC) will return to Zorn Saturday night as they host UW-Oshkosh at 5 p.m.
-JM-
