By Kerren Kollock, Sports Information
GREENCASTLE, Ind. (Blugolds.com) – The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire women's basketball team faced the No. 24 DePauw University Tigers (USA Today Coaches Poll) on Monday, coming away with a 55-50 win over the Tigers in their first game of the Amy Hasbrook Memorial Classic Tournament hosted by DePauw. Senior Teenie Lichtfuss hit passed the 1,000 career point mark to lead the way for the Blugolds.
UW-Eau Claire took the court with a sense of urgency as they battled DePauw, a program which won the NCAA Tournament in 2013. The Blugolds won the tip-off, and the momentum rolled from there as they were able to out-score the Tigers in three of the four periods.
Eau Claire managed to out-shoot DePauw while making 44 percent of their field goals, and 41.7 percent of their shots behind the arc. Although they had a solid offensive performance, the Blugolds' defense truly won the game. Eau Claire stepped up to get stops and forced turnovers when it was necessary to gain the possession. With 2:55 left in the fourth period, DePauw gained hope as they scored a layup to put them within one point. But the Blugolds shut down the Tiger rally to seal the victory.
The game's leading scorer was DePauw's Emily Budde with 17 points. Eau Claire's leading scorer was Teenie Lichtfuss (Sr.-Oshkosh, WI/Lourdes) with 13 points. Madison Johnson (Sr.-Osceola, WI/Osceola) also contributed ten points, while pulling down 13 rebounds.
Although this game marked a big success for the Blugolds, it was also a milestone for Teenie Lichtfuss. With 6:19 remaining in the third period, Lichtfuss hit a three point jumper to capture her 1,000th career point as a Blugold. Lichtfuss has consistently shot 44 percent of her field goals, and 36.8 percent of her three point attempts.
The Blugolds, (now 4-6), will face Franklin College on Tuesday, Dec. 29 at 1:00 p.m. central time. This will be the last game of their Amy Hasbrook Memorial Classic Tournament in Greencastle, Ind.
