By Alex Richert, UWEC Sports Information
Eau Claire, Wis. (Blugolds.com) - The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's basketball team lost in a thriller against St. Scholastica 77-79 during their home game on Saturday.
The Blugolds trailed by only four points at halftime with the help of Sean Miller (Jr. – Waukesha, WI/Kettle Moraine) hitting a last second three-pointer to close out an eventful first half. Eau Claire came out swinging during the second half with a 6-0 run to take the lead, 47-45, early on. The second half consisted of an astonishing 12 lead changes and six tie breaks in the highly contested battle.
With two minutes remaining the score was tied at 75. The Saints scored four unanswered points and were able to keep Eau Claire away from the rim. A Ben Widdes (Sr. – Rice Lake, WI) jumper with 54 seconds left brought the Blugolds within two, 79-77. A defensive stop gave Eau Claire the ball back 20 seconds left. A missed shot and followed by an offensive rebound gave Eau Claire one more opportunity but a three-point attempt at the buzzer fell short.
The Blugolds had five players hit the double-digit mark for points throughout the game: Cole Rabedeaux (Jr. – Poulsbo, WA/North Kitsap) (15), Widdes (14), Spencer Page (Fr. – Rice Lake, WI) (13), Miller (10), and Cam Kuepers (So. – Madison, WI/Lakeside Lutheran) (10). Wilyam Wright (Sr. – Bolingbrook, IL/Plainfield East) led Eau Claire with a game-high seven rebounds. The Blugold bench also displayed excellent depth, scoring 31 points.
The Blugolds were able to out-perform the Saints in blocked shots (4-0) and rebounds (30-25).
Eau Claire falls to 4-2 for the season, but now looks ahead to their next game on Tuesday, November 4th at 7:00 p.m. against Northland (2-4). Follow the action on Blugold Game Day or on the 'UWEC Blugolds' app on your mobile device.
