EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (Blugolds.com) – The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire women's basketball team hosted No. 12 UW-Oshkosh on Wednesday night, falling to the Titans, 58-43.
The Titans took advantage of seven offensive rebounds in the first quarter to extend possessions and held a 17-12 lead after the first frame. Both defenses locked in for the second quarter, with only 14 total points being scored but the Titans took a 25-18 lead into the half.
In the third the Blugolds closed the gap, taking advantage of three steals in a nearly a minute. A three-pointer by Hallee Hoeppner (Jr. – Winona, MN) followed by a jumper from Brooke Harris (Jr. – Green Bay, WI/Bay Port) knotted the score at 29 at the 5:05 mark. Another Oshkosh turnover prompted a Titan timeout.
Oshkosh came out of the timeout to force a back-to-back Blugold turnovers that resulted in threes, allowing the Titans to regain a lead they would never relinquish. Turnovers down the stretch would keep Eau Claire from being able to knock off the 12th-ranked Titans.
Hoeppner led all scores with 19 points while Kelsey Bakken (Jr. – Marshall, WI) finished with a game-high nine rebounds to go along with nine points. Maddie Dunathan (Sr. – Hortonville, WI) tallied game-high in assists and steals, recording five of each.
Both squads finished the game shooting only 34 percent from the field, while the Blugolds were 30.8 percent from three and the Titans 24.1 percent. Though Eau Claire shot 87.5 percent from the free-throw line (7-of-8), Oshkosh connected on 15 of 22 attempts (68.2 percent).
The Blugolds fall to 13-5 overall and 4-3 in the WIAC and will host UW-Stevens Point on Saturday at 5 p.m. Follow the action on Blugold Game Day or on the 'UWEC Blugolds' app on your mobile device.
