MENOMONIE, Wis. (blugolds.com) — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire women's basketball team wrapped up its regular season with a 63-45 defeat at UW-Stout on Wednesday night. The Blue Devils built a double-digit lead in the first half, and the Blugolds had too much ground to make up in the second half despite a fourth-quarter push.
The Blugolds and Blue Devils were evenly matched in the opening period. Neither side led by more than two points until the final minute of the first quarter, when UW-Stout closed on a 6-2 run across the last 44 seconds. It gave the Blue Devils a 17-14 advantage heading to the second.
UW-Stout started to carry momentum in the second quarter. The Blue Devils held the Blugolds to seven points in the period and opened with a 7-0 spurt to establish a 10-point advantage. Tyra Boettcher (Sr. – Menomonie, Wis.) scored seven straight points in quick succession for the Blugolds to trim the deficit to 24-21 with five minutes remaining. However, the Blue Devils scored the final eight points of the quarter for a 32-21 halftime lead.
The third period saw the Blue Devils stretch their lead further. They limited the Blugolds to nine points while scoring 23 of their own. The Blugolds managed to pull within 10 on a free throw by Kylie Mogen (Sr. – Menomonie, Wis.) at the 6:56 mark, but that was the smallest deficit of the quarter.
The Blugolds got back on track in the fourth quarter and outscored the Blue Devils 15-8, but there wasn't enough time to complete a rally.
Boettcher led UW-Eau Claire with 14 points and added seven rebounds to her tally. Mogen recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Bailey Reardon (Sr. – River Falls, Wis.) had five points and eight rebounds, and Courtney Crouch (Sr. – White Bear Lake, Minn.) had six points and five rebounds.
The Blugolds will be the No. 3 seed in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Tournament next week. They will host sixth-seed UW-Platteville on Tuesday, Feb. 22, at Zorn Arena.
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