By Tommy McGowan, UWEC Sports Info
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (blugolds.com) - The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire women's basketball team won their 2021 season opener over UW-La Crosse on Wednesday night, 76-58.
The Blugolds would open their scoring with a jumper from Jessie Ruden (So.-Rochester, MN/John Marshall). They would take that lead to the end of the first quarter, up 23-14. The leading scorer in the quarter was Ruden, who had eight points.
They would extend that lead in the second quarter, going into the halftime break up 41-24. It was Jade Ganski (Fr.-Rothschild, WI/Newman Catholic) who would jumpstart the offense in the second period, hitting a three-pointer within the first minute.
The hot shooting for Eau Claire continued into the third quarter, as they dropped 26 points in the period. Ruden had nine in the quarter, while Katie Essen (Sr.-Farmington, MN/Rosemount) added five of her own.
The Blugolds cooled off in the final period, but still cruised to an 18-point victory to begin the season. While the offense shot nearly 54% from the field, it was the swarming defense that fueled the win. They forced 18 La Crosse turnovers, scoring 21 points off of them.
Ruden ended the game leading all scorers, with 20 points off 7-12 shooting. She also hit four three-pointers. In addition to Ruden, Essen supplied 18 points and had five rebounds, while Maizie Deihl (Sr.-New Prague, MN) had 17 points. In addition to the offense, both Essen and Deihl had a pair of steals.
Eau Claire will go on the road and square off against La Crosse again on Friday at 7 PM. They'll be going for the sweep in the season series against the Eagles, which they were unable to do last season. Follow the action on Blugold Game Day.
