SUPERIOR, Wis. (Blugolds.com) – The UW-Eau Claire women's basketball team held a lead nearly the entire first half, but UW-Superior controlled the second half to defeat the Blugolds 59-47 at Mertz Mortorelli Gymnasium tonight.
The Blugolds opened the game with a 7-0 run, holding the Yellowjackets scoreless for more than six minutes. Eau Claire never trailed over the first 17 minutes of the first half, but Superior fought back and took its first lead of the night with less than three minutes before halftime. The Yellowjackets built a five-point lead by halftime (29-24).
In the second half, the Blugolds worked their way back to within two points (35-33) after six minutes. However, Superior then outscored the Blugolds 10-1 over the next five minutes to get up by 11 points and the Blugolds were unable to recover from there.
The closest the Blugolds got after getting down by 11 points was a nine-point deficit, the last time with less than three minutes to play, while Superior led by as many as 13 points on three occasions.
Teenie Lichtfuss (So.-Oshkosh, Wis./Lourdes) led the game in scoring with 19 points while also pulling down a team-high five rebounds. Kristin Sahr (Jr.-Stillwater, Minn.) added 11 points for the Blugolds.
The Blugolds made just 15 shots from the field, including nine three-pointers, as they shot 33.3 percent. Superior went 21-for-55 (38.2 percent). Eau Claire finished with 23 turnovers and the Yellowjackets converted the turnovers into 21 points while the Blugolds had three points off 12 Superior turnovers.
Eau Claire is now 3-13 overall and 1-6 in the WIAC while Superior improves to 9-5 overall and 3-3 in conference play.
The Blugolds will be off this Saturday but will be back in action Wednesday, Jan. 22, hosting 17th-ranked UW-Oshkosh. The game will get underway at 7 p.m. in Zorn Arena and it will be Team Night and the Blugolds' Cancer Awareness Game.
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