By Tommy McGowan, UWEC Sports Information
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (blugolds.com) - The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire women's basketball team dropped to UW-Whitewater in the semifinals of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships (presented by Culver's), 74-62.
Box Score | WIAC Championship Website
The Blugolds leaned on the three-point shot in the first quarter, hitting a trio of threes in the period. The rest of the offense had a slow start, as they went into the quarter break trailing 22-13.
Eau Claire had a strong shooting second but were unable to take the lead, heading into halftime down 43-31.
Maizie Deihl (Sr.-New Prague, MN) led the way with seven points in the half, while Jessie Ruden (So.-Rochester, MN/John Marshall) put up six.
A pair of free throws from Deihl began the second half scoring for the Blugolds. They would cut the lead down to single digits before a Whitewater run to finish the third quarter.
Eau Claire took the final quarter, 19-17, but it wasn't enough to complete the comeback attempt.
Deihl ended up as the leading scorer on the night, while three separate Blugolds ended up with 12 apiece. Katie Essen (Sr.-Farmington, MN/Rosemount) finished with a double-double, contributing 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
The loss completes Eau Claire's shortened 2021 season at 8-2 overall. They reeled off six consecutive wins to begin the season and spent most of it ranked in the Top 15 of the D3Hoops.com poll. They look forward to a more normal 2021-2022 season in the fall. Follow the action on Blugold Game Day.
