By Tommy McGowan, UWEC Sports Information
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (blugolds.com) - The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire women's basketball team lost their final game of the regular season Saturday night to UW-La Crosse, 80-61.
La Crosse took a quick 10-0 lead, but the Blugolds went on a 10-3 run to finish the first quarter, 20-16. Jessie Ruden (Fr.-Rochester, MN/John Marshall) hit a pair of threes, leading Eau Claire with six points.
A cold stretch of shooting from the Blugolds made the score 38-25 going into halftime, in favor of the Eagles. Ruden hit another three in the period to give her nine on the half, while other field goals came from Maizie Diehl (Jr.-New Prague, MN) and Ellie Clayton (So.-Lakeville, MN/Farmington).
UWEC outscored the Eagles in the third quarter, trimming the La Crosse lead to 45-40 midway through the period. La Crosse went on a run to build an 11-point advantage heading into the final quarter of play.
Despite shooting 50 percent from three in the fourth, the Blugolds were not able to pull off the comeback attempt. La Crosse had 23 points in the quarter, taking the game 80-61.
Eau Claire shot 39 percent from three-point on the night, and 36 percent from the field. They also got to the free throw line often, shooting 14-17 from the stripe.
Ruden finished as the leading scorer for the Blugolds, totaling 14 points. Katie Essen (Jr.-Farmington, MN/Rosemount) used a strong second half to finish with 13 points and six rebounds.
UWEC finishes the regular season 16-9 overall and 10-4 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. They will be the third seed in the WIAC Championships, hosting UW-Stevens Point February 25th. They beat Stevens Point twice in the regular season, most recently beating them on the road February 8th. Follow action on Blugold Game Day or on the 'UWEC Blugolds' app from your mobile device.
