By Tommy McGowan, UWEC Sports Information
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (blugolds.com)- The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's basketball team dropped a hard-fought contest to No. 17 UW-La Crosse Saturday night, 75-59.
The Blugolds fell behind 12-2 quickly, but the rest of the first half both teams traded buckets. A three-pointer from La Crosse with a minute remaining gave them a 33-26 advantage going into the halftime break.
Cole Rabedeaux (Sr.-Poulsbo, WA/North Kitsap) was the leading scorer in the half for the Blugolds, with ten points. He went 2-3 from three-point during the period. Carter Brooks (Jr.-Lakeville, MN/North) added eight as well, going 4-7 from the field.
La Crosse extended their lead through the several minutes of the second half, but a run from Eau Claire tightened things up by the nine minutes remaining mark. With the lead at just nine, a Blugold miscue led to an and-one from the Eagles, sinking UWEC's chances. They got the lead back down to ten with under a minute remaining, but La Crosse iced the game at the free throw line.
Eau Claire had a solid offensive day, shooting 41 percent from the field, but they couldn't overcome 11 made threes from La Crosse.
Rabedeaux would once again finish as the top scorer for the Blugolds, with 21 points on 8-15 shooting. Brooks and Cam Kuepers (Jr.-Madison, WI/Lakeside Lutheran) both contributed 15, and Brooks came within one rebound of a double-double.
The loss leaves Eau Claire 12-6 overall and now 3-4 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Like the women's team, their January slate concludes on the 29th on the road against UW-Stout. They'll tip off right after the women, scheduled for 8 PM. Follow the action on Blugold Game Day or on the 'UWEC Blugolds' app from your mobile device.
