STEVENS POINT, Wis. (Blugolds.com) – The UW-Eau Claire women's basketball team came up short at 21st-ranked UW-Stevens Point in the first round of the 2013 WIAC Championship, falling 67-57 in Berg Gymnasium tonight.
While Stevens Point led the entire way, the Blugolds came on strong near the end before the Pointers hit five straight free throws in the final minute to win by 10.
Over the first 15 minutes of the game, the Pointers worked their way to a nine-point lead (28-19) but the Blugolds never trailed by double-digits until the very end.
Stevens Point held a seven point advantage at halftime (32-25).
Over the first 14 minutes of the second half, Eau Claire outscored the Pointers 24-20 and was within three points (52-49) with just over six minutes left.
The Pointers then used an 8-2 run to get back up by nine over the next two minutes, but the Blugolds fought back and were within five (62-57) with less than a minute left. But the Pointers hit five consecutive free throws to secure the win.
Sarah Bingea (Sr.-Delano, Minn.) led the game with a career-high 25 points while Courtney Lewis (So.-Prairie Du Chien, Wis.) added 18. Bingea also led the Blugolds in rebounding with eight.
Seniors Bingea, Casteele Miller (Stanley, Wis./Eau Claire Regis) and Leah Rempert (Lake Geneva, Wis./Badger) played in their final game in a Blugold uniform tonight. Bingea ends her career 14th on the Blugolds' all-time scoring list with 1,053 points and holds school records in minutes (3,473) and average minutes per game (33.4).
Eau Claire ends the season with an 11-15 record. Stevens Point is now 21-5 and moves on to face UW-Oshkosh in the semifinals of the WIAC Championship.
-KM-
