EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (blugolds.com) — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's basketball team opened its season with a 92-69 victory over Bethel University on Wednesday at Zorn Arena. Brock Voigt (Sr. - Sun Prairie, Wis.) scored 22 points and grabbed five rebounds to power the Blugolds in their home opener.
The Blugolds pushed the pace from start to finish and built a 21-point lead by halftime to pull away from the Royals.
"You never really know what you're going to get until you get in a game-type setting," Blugolds coach Matt Siverling said. "We've had a scrimmage — we did play the Badgers — but obviously that was a completely different animal. And then you see some things in practice, but you're competing against the same people every single day. So when you get an opportunity to compete against somebody else, you just want to see what progress you've made and see the things that you need to continue to work on."
The Blugolds used a 12-0 run early in the first half to establish a double-digit cushion on the scoreboard. Michael Casper (Jr. - Merrill, Wis.) and Drew Maloney (So. - St. Charles, Minn.) both knocked down 3-pointers as part of the streak, which turned a 6-6 tie into an 18-6 advantage for UW-Eau Claire. The lead ballooned to 15 midway through the first half, but the Royals managed to trim it to five with 6:23 left in the period. That was as close as they got the rest of the way. Carter Hanke (Sr. - Marathon, Wis.) hit a layup to start a run which saw the Blugolds outscore Bethel 22-6 across the remaining six-plus minutes and take a 21-point halftime lead.
Casper connected on three 3-pointers in the first half and entered halftime with 13 points to lead all scorers at that point. The Blugolds' lead remained in double figures for the entire second half. UW-Eau Claire shot 58 % from the field and scored 29 points off turnovers. Sixty-four of the Blugolds' 92 points came in the paint.
Casper finished with 18 points for the Blugolds, and Hanke scored 13. David Ijadimbola (Jr. - Brooklyn Park, Minn./Park Center) added nine points and four assists. Cooper Laufenburger (So. - Lakeville, Minn./North) and Alex Voigt (Sr. - Sun Prairie, Wis.) chipped in with six points apiece.
UW-Eau Claire returns to action on Saturday, Nov. 11, at St. John's (Minn.). Tip off is set for 5:30 p.m.
Follow the Blugolds all season long at Blugold Gameday or on our app, UWEC Blugolds.
