WHITEWATER, Wis. (Blugolds.com) – Despite leading early, the UW-Eau Claire men's basketball team couldn't hold on and fell to second-ranked UW-Whitewater 67-49 at Kachel Gymnasium tonight.
The Blugolds jumped out to an 8-0 lead two minutes into the game and never fell behind over the first 13 minutes of the contest.
But in the late stages of the first half, Whitewater grabbed a lead and never looked back. With the score tied at 22 with six minutes remaining in the opening half, Whitewater proceeded to outscore the Blugolds 13-6 over the final minutes to take a seven-point halftime lead (35-28).
In the second half, the closest the Blugolds could get was five points, just three minutes into the half, but Whitewater then used an 8-0 run to build a 13-point lead. The Warhawks steadily increased their lead throughout the half, leading by as much as 19 points late in the game.
Jordan Petersen (Jr.-Strum, Wis./Eleva-Strum) was the lone Blugold in double-figures for scoring as he finished with 18 points.
The Warhawks outrebounded the Blugolds 44-27 as Nick Craggs (Jr.-Kimberly, Wis.) and Dustin Kalien (Jr.-Chippewa Falls, Wis./Chi-Hi) led Eau Claire with four rebounds apiece.
Whitewater shot 51.9 percent (27-for-52) from the field while the Blugolds finished 19-for-55 (34.5 percent). But the Blugolds led in three-point field goals made with six to just two for Whitewater.
On the season, the Blugolds are now 13-7 while they are 5-6 in conference play. The Warhawks improve to 18-2 overall and 9-2 in the conference.
Wednesday, the Blugolds travel to UW-Oshkosh to face the Titans. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
-KM-
