DECORAH, Iowa (Blugolds.com) – The UW-Eau Claire women's basketball team ended a two-game losing streak today with a 56-52 victory over Luther College (Iowa) in the Regents Center.
Both teams kept the game close with neither team leading by double figures at any time throughout the contest. Luther led by as many as nine points with 6:39 left in the first half while the Blugolds led by as many as six points less than five minutes into the game.
The Blugolds led most of the first eight minutes but Luther used a 9-0 run to get up by six with eight minutes left in the opening half.
Luther, which led at halftime 32-29, never trailed again until midway through the second half. With less than nine minutes to play, Arien Becker (Fr.-Hayward, Wis.) hit a jumper that gave the Blugolds a lead. But Luther eventually worked its way to another lead and was up by two points with 1:29 remaining.
Over the final minute and a half, however, the Blugolds held Luther scoreless, ending the contest with a 6-0 run to beat the Norse by four.
Sarah Bingea (Sr.-Delano, Minn.) led the Blugolds in scoring and rebounding with 15 points and eight rebounds. Courtney Lewis (So.-Prairie Du Chien, Wis.) added 12 points.
Eau Claire outshot Luther 40.4 percent (21-for-52) to 32.7 percent (17-for-52) but the Norse edged the Blugolds in rebounding, 38-37. Luther also committed 21 turnovers to 15 for Eau Claire.
The Blugolds got back to .500 with a 5-5 overall record. Luther falls to 6-3.
Eau Claire will be back in action at the Smokey Ballenger Classic in Westerville, Ohio on Dec. 28 and 29. The Blugolds will play Thiel (Pa.) Friday and Frostburg State (Md.) Saturday.
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