OSHKOSH, Wis. (blugolds.com) — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's basketball team fell to UW-Oshkosh 82-62 in the semifinals of the WIAC Tournament on Friday. The top-seeded Titans scored the first 18 points of the game and the Blugolds couldn't recover.
UW-Oshkosh kept UW-Eau Claire off the scoreboard for the first seven and a half minutes of the contest and built an 18-0 lead in the process. The Blugolds got on the board on a basket by Spencer Page (Sr. - Rice Lake, Wis.) at the 12:24 mark, and while the offense began to pick up some steam from there, the deficit hovered around 15 points the rest of the half. The Titans took a 40-25 advantage into halftime.
The Blugolds used an 8-2 run early in the second half to cut the Titans' lead to 11 at 44-33, but that was as close as UW-Eau Claire could get. The Titans responded with a 10-2 spurt to pull away for good.
Three players shared the team high with 12 points apiece for UW-Eau Claire. Page, Brock Voigt (Sr. - Sun Prairie, Wis.) and Nolan Blair (Jr. - Stevens Point, Wis.) all scored 12. Voigt grabbed 10 rebounds to tally a double-double. Michael Casper (Jr. - Merrill, Wis.) scored eight points and Carter Huschka (Jr. - Farmington, Minn.) added six points and six rebounds.
The Blugolds shot 43% from the field, but it was difficult to keep up with the Titans' 52% clip.
UW-Eau Claire sits at 17-10 and will wait to see if its postseason will continue next week. The Blugolds would require an at-large bid to get into the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA selection show is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 27, at 12 p.m.
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