MENOMONIE, Wis. (blugolds.com) — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's basketball team closed out its regular season with an 82-66 victory over rival UW-Stout on Wednesday at Johnson Fieldhouse. It finished off a season sweep of the Blue Devils and guaranteed the Blugolds a home game in next week's Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Tournament.
The Blugolds sank 12 3-pointers and shot 48% against UW-Stout. They started to pull away past the midway point of the first half, and despite a couple of pushes from the Blue Devils, held on to beat their foe for the second time this season.
UW-Stout scored the first six points of the contest and led 19-12 after seven-plus minutes of action. UW-Eau Claire seized control with a 13-2 spurt though, with a 3-pointer from Spencer Page (Sr. - Rice Lake, Wis.) tying the game and a layup by Michael Casper (Jr. - Merrill, Wis.) giving the Blugolds the lead at the 8:53 mark. UW-Eau Claire didn't trail the rest of the way. The Blugolds closed the first half on a 9-4 run to take a 44-37 lead into the break.
The Blue Devils used a 13-4 run early in the second half to tie the game at 50 apiece with 15 minutes remaining. However, UW-Eau Claire immediately responded with a 21-4 run to retake control. The spurt put the Blugolds ahead 71-54 at the 6:06 mark. It was enough of a cushion to see out th evictory and finish off the series sweep.
Casper paced the Blugolds with a team-high 20 points. Page added 14 points, while Carter Huschka (Jr. - Farmington, Minn.) and Nolan Blair (Jr. - Stevens Point, Wis.) chipped in with 13 points apiece. Huschka also had five rebounds and four assists. Brock Voigt (Sr. - Sun Prairie, Wis.) had nine points, eight steals, eight rebounds, and five assists. His eight steals and five assists are both career highs.
The Blugolds won the rebounding battle 32-28 and forced the Blue Devils into 18 turnovers.
UW-Eau Claire guaranteed itself a home game in the conference tournament with the victory. The Blugolds will be the No. 4 seed in the tournament. The first round of the tournament begins Monday, Feb. 20, with the No. 4 seed hosting No. 5. The Blugolds will host UW-Platteville in the opening round at Zorn Arena.
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