GREENCASTLE, Ind. (blugolds.com) — The 15th-ranked University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire women's basketball team knocked off No. 10 Trine 75-68 to open play at the Amy Hasbrook Memorial Tournament at DePauw University on Thursday. The Blugolds used a huge second quarter to overcome an early deficit and advance to the tournament championship.
UW-Eau Claire had to dig out of a hole after a tough opening period. The Thunder scored the game's first eight points and led 21-13 after the first quarter. However, the Blugolds swung back with a dominant display in the second quarter.
The Blugolds outscored Trine 23-8 in the second quarter to surge into the lead. UW-Eau Claire closed the quarter on a 21-4 run across the final five minutes. The Blugolds held the Thunder scoreless for a stretch of more than four minutes during that time. They entered halftime with a 36-29 advantage.
UW-Eau Claire kept up the pace in the third quarter. The Blugolds outscored the Thunder 21-10, highlighted by a 9-0 run which featured back-to-back 3-pointers from Jessie Ruden (Sr. - Rochester, Minn./John Marshall) midway through the period. Ruden scored eight points in the quarter, and UW-Eau Claire led 57-39 by the end of it.
Trine started the final quarter on a 10-0 run to get back into the game, and eventually trimmed the Blugolds' lead to three with 1:05 remaining. From there, Ruden hit a 3-pointer to put the Blugolds up by six, and UW-Eau Claire saw out the win at the free throw line.
Ruden made five 3-pointers and finished with 23 points. She also had four assists, three rebounds and three blocks. Tyra Boettcher (Sr. - Menomonie, Wis.) had her fourth double-double of the season, tallying 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Blugolds. Courtney Crouch (Sr. - White Bear Lake, Minn.) scored 11 points, grabbed seven rebounds and passed four assists. Kylie Strop (Jr. - River Falls, Wis.) had eight points off the bench for the Blugolds.
UW-Eau Claire held the Thunder to 36% shooting from the field and forced them into 12 turnovers.
The Blugolds will face DePauw in the tournament championship at 3 p.m. Central on Friday, Dec. 30.
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