By: Christian Kiener, UWEC Sports Information
PLATTEVILLE, Wis. (blugolds.com) – The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's basketball team finished up the regular season Wednesday with Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) play as they traveled to face the No. 8 UW-Platteville Pioneers. A strong defensive performance capitalized by strong rebounding by the Blugolds, wasn't enough as the Blugolds were outscored 60-56.
Despite uncharacteristic turnovers by Eau Claire in the first half, the Blugolds were able to keep pace with the No. 8 Pioneers by defending the interior and forcing tough shots. Brock Voigt (Jr. – Sun Prairie, WI) made his return back to play as he led the Blugolds with 9 points, 3 rebounds, and a steal in the first half. A close and competitive half between the WIAC opponents found UWEC down 27-24 at halftime.
The Blugolds would get off to a strong second half start with an 11-4 run. UWEC continued their steady defense by protecting the interior and forcing the Pioneers to take contested shots from the perimeter. On the offensive side, Eau Claire drove the lane and drew fouls early to reach the bonus at the ten-minute mark. The next four minutes would be a test for UWEC as their firery shooting calmed, but their defense never wavered to maintain a 41-39 lead. Platteville refused to go away as the Pioneers tied the game at 44-44 with less than three minutes to go. The Blugolds answered as they scored on their next three possesions with three consecutive layups. Platteville hung around and hit a game tying 3 pointer in the final seconds to tie the game at 52 and force overtime.
In overtime, the Pioneers jumped out to an early lead, but the Blugolds closed the gap to 7-56 with 2:30 to go. Turnovers late in the extra period by Eau Claire would unfortunately cost the Blugolds vital chances as they fell on the road, 60-56.
The Blugolds (11-14 WIAC 4-10) will await the WIAC Tournament seedings to be released and will prepare for tournament play to begin. The first round of the WIAC Championship Tournament is set to begin on Friday, February 18th. Full tournament seedings and coverage can be found at www.wiacsports.com.
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