WHITEWATER, Wis. (blugolds.com) — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire women's basketball team fell to UW-Whitewater 72-61 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Championship on Sunday afternoon. The Blugolds finished as tournament runner-up a year after winning the title.
The two sides were neck-and-neck throughout the whole first half, with neither team leading by more than six points before the break. The Warhawks went ahead 11-6 by the midway point of the opening quarter, but the Blugolds negated the advantage with a 9-4 run to tie the game at 15. UW-Whitewater hit a 3-pointer with 40 seconds left in the period to take an 18-15 lead into the second quarter.
The Warhawks made it a six-point lead midway through the second quarter, but the Blugolds narrowed the gap quickly with help from a 3-pointer by Tyra Boettcher (Sr. – Menomonie, Wis.). Each side posted 13 points in the quarter and the Blugolds entered halftime trailing 31-28.
The deficit began to widen in the third quarter for the Blugolds. Kylie Mogen (Sr. – Menomonie, Wis.) made a 3-pointer to make the score 39-36 with three and a half minutes left in the period, but the Warhawks went on a 12-1 run to add some separation in the late stages. The spurt gave them a 51-37 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
UW-Whitewater extended its lead to 17 at the 4:48 mark of the final period, but the Blugolds made a push toward the end of the game. They used a 10-2 run starting with a layup from Boettcher to whittle the deficit down to single digits at 66-57 with 1:31 remaining. However, the Warhawks made several free throws across the final minute and a half to thwart any chances of a comeback.
Boettcher scored 20 points to lead the Blugolds, and also had seven rebounds. Mogen and Kylie Strop (Jr. – River Falls, Wis.) scored 10 points apiece and added eight and five rebounds, respectively. Jessie Ruden (Sr. – Rochester, Minn./John Marshall) had eight points and five rebounds, and Bailey Reardon (Sr. – River Falls, Wis.) also scored eight points.
The Blugolds (20-8) will learn their NCAA Tournament fate when the field is announced during the selection show on Monday, Feb. 27, at 1:30 p.m. UW-Eau Claire will need an at-large bid to get into the tournament. The Blugolds qualified for the tournament last year and reached the second round.
Follow the Blugolds all season long at Blugold Game Day or on our app, UWEC Blugolds.
