LA CROSSE, Wis. (Blugolds.com) - Despite keeping the score close a majority of the first half, the UW-Eau Claire men's basketball team couldn't hold off UW-La Crosse after committing a season-high 24 turnovers in a 63-44 loss to the Eagles today.
The Blugolds and Eagles went back and forth in the opening minutes and Eau Claire led by as much as four points nearly eight minutes into the first half.
La Crosse then built a lead but was up by only one point with just over six minutes to play in the half. However, the rest of the half the Eagles scored 17 points and the Blugolds managed just four as the Eagles went into halftime with a 14-point lead (41-27).
In the second half, the closest the Blugolds could get was 10 points after holding the Eagles scoreless for nearly the first five minutes. But La Crosse quickly pulled away and gained a 26-point lead with just over six minutes left in the contest.
While Eau Claire outshot the Eagles, 50 percent (19-for-38) to 36.4 percent (24-for-66), the Blugolds committed 24 turnovers to La Crosse's six. The Eagles scored 31 points off the turnovers while the Blugolds had just five points off La Crosse's turnovers.
Three Blugolds recorded team-high point totals, with Marcus Ruh (So.-Green Bay, Wis./Bay Port), Amadou Fofana (Sr.-Appleton, Wis./West) and Dustin Kalien (So.-Chippewa Falls, Wis./Chi-Hi) each finishing with nine. James Pfitzinger (Jr.-West St. Paul, Minn./Academy Of Holy Angels/St. Norbert)came away with a game-high nine rebounds.
Eau Claire falls to 8-9 overall and 3-6 in the WIAC. The Eagles improve to 9-9 on the season and 4-5 in conference play.
The Blugolds will be on the road again next Wednesday with a game at UW-Oshkosh. Action is set to get underway at 7 p.m.
