EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (Blugolds.com) – The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's basketball earned a big win at Zorn Arena Wednesday night, defeating the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) leader, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, 64-57.
Box Score | WIAC Tournament Website
The Eagles entered the game looking to secure at least a share of the conference title, but the Blugolds had other plans.
Both squads came out firing to start the game and traded baskets in the first 11 minutes of play, but a Jack Martinek (Jr. – New Brighton, MN) layup at 8:38 would break a 16-16 tie and spark a Blugold run. UW-Eau Claire would go on a 14-4 run, capped off by a George Diekelman (So. – Stevens Point, WI/SPASH) three, to take a 10-point lead with five minutes to go in the first half.
The Eagles would rally back, however, but the home squad would take a 33-28 lead into the locker room. The Blugold defense held UW-La Crosse to 12-of-31 from the field (38.7 percent) and 2-of-9 from three (22 percent) while Eau Claire shot 46.4 percent (13-28) from the field and 33 percent (5-15) from behind the arc.
The second half started much like the first, with the Eagles having an answer for each Blugold basket. But several missed three-point attempts by the Blugolds gave the Eagles the opportunity to get their first lead of the game (46-43) since early in the first half with 12:18 to go.
The La Crosse rally was quickly stifled, thanks to a three from Chris Duff (So. – Walker, MN/W.H.A HS) to tie the game, spurring another back and forth run that saw three ties and three lead changes before the Blugolds started to take control.
Jacob Kohner (Sr.-Bloomington, MN/John F. Kennedy) would knock down a three with 4:25 to go, giving Eau Claire a 58-54 lead. Diekelman would follow with a jumper, steal and two free throws to put the Blugolds up by eight. Martinek would then seal the win with two free throws with 18 seconds left to give Eau Claire the 64-57 win.
In the second half, the Blugolds shot 47.2 percent from the field (25-53) and 29.2 percent (7-24) from three while the Eagles were 24-of-59 from the floor (40.7 percent) and 6-of-19 (31.6 percent) from behind the arc.
La Crosse's Devin Yurk led all scorers with 19 points while Martinek and Diekelman paced the Blugold offense with 17 and 16 points, respectively. Martinek also added a team-high 10 rebounds. Duff had another great night off the bench, recording seven points and pulling down eight rebounds.
The win brings the Blugolds to 8-5 in WIAC play and 15-9 overall, putting them in a tie for third with UW-Oshkosh in the conference standings. The Eagle loss drops them to 9-4 in WIAC and into a tie with UW-River Falls for first place. All four of the top teams hold overall records of 15-9.
The Blugolds will host UW-Whitewater in the final regular season game on Saturday for Senior Night. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m.
