EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (Blugolds.com) - The University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire women's basketball team turned in a dominating performance Saturday night, defeating Dubuque 100-65.
It was all Eau Claire from the start and a tough Blugold defense jump-started the offense, scoring seven points off turnovers and forcing a Dubuque timeout just five minutes into the game. After one quarter of play, Eau Claire held a 21-13 advantage.
The Blugolds continued to shoot well in the second quarter, hitting four three-pointers on their first five possessions, two by Jenni LaCroix (Sr. – Verona, WI).
By the half, the Blugolds had extended their lead to 49-29. Eau Claire shot 50 percent from the field in and 44.4 percent from three while holding the Spartans to 20 percent and 11.1 percent, respectively. Both teams shot well from the charity stripe, with Eau Claire connecting on 13 of 14 (92.9 percent) free throws to 16 of 18 (88.9 percent) for Dubuque.
The Blugolds continued to get the job done on both ends of the court in the second half as they would cruise to the big win. Five Blugolds would score in double figures, with Kelsey Bakken (So. – Marshall, WI) scoring a game-high 17. The sophomore also tallied five rebounds, three steals and two assists in 21 minutes of play.
Hallee Hoeppner (So. – Winona, MN) followed with 14 points while Anna Graaskamp (So. – Eau Claire, WI/Memorial) added 12. LaCroix and Katie Essen (Fr. – Farmington, MN/Rosemount) both chipped in 11.
Eau Claire finished the night shooting 55.4 percent (31-56) from the field and 43.3 (13-30) percent from the three-point line. The Blugolds also connected on 25 of 30 free throw attempts (83.3 percent).
Dubuque was held to only 27.8 percent from the field (20-72) and 14.8 percent (4-27) from three.
The Blugolds (2-0) will have their first road game of the season on Tuesday as they travel to DePere, Wis. to take on St. Norbert College. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. Follow the action on Blugold Game Day.
