EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (blugold.com) – Coming off an overtime win against no. 17th ranked UW-Oshkosh on Saturday, the UW-Eau Claire women's basketball team picked up where they left off, dominating UW-Platteville 68-42 in Zorn Arena on Wednesday night.
Defense wins championships.
The old adage often rings hollow in our flash-over-substance and statistics-crazed world.
Yet Wednesday night, facing a Platteville team boasting three of the conference's top four scorers, the Blugolds played championship defense.
Refusing to allow anything in the paint, their stifling zone defense offered their opponent little reprieve.
From their first shot, an arcing three from Abby Midtlien (So. Chaseburg, Wis.) that found its mark with precision, the Blugolds' shooters could not miss.
By half time, the team had raced to a 14-point lead, shooting 54.2 percent from the field—66.7 percent from three—on the way.
That lead was never in question, at one point swelling over 20 points as the hot shooting continued. Eau Claire finished shooting 50.9 percent from the field and 63.2 percent from three while holding the Pioneers to 20.7 percent from the field and 30.8 percent from behind the arc.
When the final whistle blew, the Blugolds had cruised to a 68-42 victory.
Teenie Lichtfuss (Jr. Oshkosh, Wis.) continued her prolific scoring, finishing with 15 points. She also contributed 7 assists and 6 rebounds.
Courtney Lewis (Sr. Prairie du Chien, Wis.) came close to a triple double, an outcome that is almost to be expected of her well-rounded play, finishing with 13 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists.
The Blugolds' size, Rachel Egdorf (Sr. Mishicot, Wis.) and Ellen Blacklock (So. Winona, Minn.), suffocated the Pioneer's shooting opportunities while chipping in five points and seven points, respectively.
After starting the scoring action, Midtlien finished with eight points, while Jenni LaCroix (Fr. Verona, Wis.) added six points off the bench.
The win is the Blugolds' fifth in a row—and third by double figures in that span—and pushed their record to 11-6 (6-2 WIAC).
Eau Claire will travel to Stout for the next game on Wednesday, Jan. 28. The Blugolds won the first matchup between the teams, 66-49.
Tip off will be at 7 p.m.
-MF-
