By Tommy McGowan, UWEC Sports Information
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (blugolds.com) - The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire women's basketball team defeated UW-Platteville on Monday night in the quarterfinals of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship (presented by Culver's), 81-56.
Box Score | WIAC Championship Website
Neither team was able to build much of an advantage in the first quarter, as the two teams hit the initial break tied at 18. Jessie Ruden (So.-Rochester, MN/John Marshall) scored the final five points of the period for the Blugolds, while Jade Ganski (Fr.-Rothschild, WI/Newman Catholic) nailed a pair of three-pointers.
Platteville began to establish a lead in the second quarter, but Eau Claire responded with an 18-2 run beginning midway through the period. Ganski added another three to send the Blugolds into halftime with a 42-32 lead. She hit five in the first half, leading all scorers with 15 points at the break.
The Blugolds shot 50% from the field in the first half and went 8/12 from three-point territory. In addition to Ganski's 15, Maizie Deihl (Sr.-New Prague, MN) added 11 points.
Eau Claire's hot shooting would continue into the third quarter, as they extended their lead to 17. Ruden led the way in the quarter, as she had 10 points.
Deihl began the scoring in the fourth with a three-pointer of her own, and the Blugolds never looked back. They had 20 points in the quarter to pass the 80-point threshold.
It was a tremendous all-around performance for Eau Claire. The offense shot 49% from the field and hit 12 threes in total. Defensively, UWEC held Platteville to under 40% shooting and forced 16 turnovers.
Ganski would finish with 18 points, a new career high for the freshman. Ruden would also put up 18 points, with Deihl finishing just behind with 16.
With the victory, Eau Claire improves to 8-1 on the 2021 season and moves on to the WIAC Semifinals, where they'll face UW-Whitewater on Wednesday, March 3rd. Whitewater is 7-2 on the season and finished second in the WIAC East Division. Follow the action on Blugold Game Day.
