EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (blugolds.com) – The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire women's basketball team used a strong finish to hold off UW-Platteville 65-55 in the first round of the WIAC Tournament on Tuesday at Zorn Arena. The third-seeded Blugolds advanced to Friday's semifinals with the victory.
UW-Eau Claire broke open a four-point game by outscoring the Pioneers 20-14 in the fourth quarter. It booked the Blugolds' spot in the conference semifinals, where they'll take on second-seeded UW-Stout on the road.
"That's probably one of our best defensive games all year," UW-Eau Claire head coach Tonja Englund said. "That's a positive. At this time of the year, defense is really key. I thought that was the key to the game."
UW-Eau Claire started to heat up around the midway point of the first quarter. Tyra Boettcher (Sr. – Menomonie, Wis.) made a jumper and a 3-pointer to start a 7-0 spurt which put the Blugolds ahead 15-6 with 2:44 remaining in the period. The Pioneers closed the opening quarter with a 5-0 run, but the Blugolds still led 15-11 heading to the second.
Jessie Ruden (Sr. – Rochester, Minn./John Marshall) and Kylie Mogen (Sr. – Menomonie, Wis.) hit 3-pointers within 33 seconds of each other early in the second quarter. The quick burst made it an eight-point lead for the Blugolds. UW-Eau Claire later closed the half on a 6-0 run to sport a 33-20 advantage at halftime. The Blugolds held the Pioneers to nine points in the quarter.
The Pioneers began the second half on an 11-2 run to storm back into the contest. The stretch cut UW-Eau Claire's lead to four. Ruden and Bailey Reardon (Sr. – River Falls, Wis.) later scored three points apiece to fuel a 6-0 push for UW-Eau Claire, restoring a 10-point advantage at the 2:39 mark. However, UW-Platteville closed the quarter on an 8-2 run to make it a 45-41 Blugolds lead entering the final period.
UW-Platteville whittled the deficit down to one within the first two minutes of the fourth quarter. The Blugolds clamped down from there, riding a 10-2 run to pad the lead and never looked back. Reardon scored five points in that stretch. UW-Eau Claire shot 83% from the free throw line, which helped see out the victory.
Reardon led all scorers with 19 points. She also had five rebounds and two blocks. Ruden tallied 18 points, four rebounds and two assists. Boettcher notched a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds. Mogen had eight points and six rebounds, and Courtney Crouch (Sr. – White Bear Lake, Minn.) added seven points, four rebounds and four assists.
Defensively, UW-Eau Claire held UW-Platteville to 35% from the floor.
The Blugolds travel to Menomonie on Friday, Feb. 24, to take on UW-Stout in the conference semifinals. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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