EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (Blugolds.com) – Competing on the final day of the UW-Eau Claire Women' Basketball Tip-Off Classic, the Blugolds fell to Simpson College (Iowa) 70-52 tonight at Zorn Arena.
The game was a rematch of the first round NCAA contest from last season, a game the Blugolds (1-1) won 69-61. Tonight was a different story as the Storm led the entire way.
Simpson (2-0) got out to a five-point lead and while Morgan Rustad (So.-Hudson, Wis./Hill-Murray) scored the Blugolds' first basket of the game to get back to within three, the Storm then used a 7-0 run to build a 10-point lead (12-2).
The Storm steadily increased their lead throughout the first half and took a 21-point lead into halftime (42-21).
In the second half, after Simpson got up by 25, the Blugolds began to chip away at the lead and used a 12-4 run to get to within 17 with nine minutes remaining. But Simpson answered with a run of its own, 6-0, to get back up by 23.
Over the final five minutes, the Blugolds gave up just one more layup as they outscored Simpson 7-2 the rest of the way.
Courtney Lewis (So.-Prairie Du Chien, Wis.) led Eau Claire with 18 points while she and Rachel Egdorf (So.-Mishicot, Wis.) each pulled down six rebounds. Teenie Lichtfuss (Fr.-Oshkosh, Wis./Lourdes) also reached double figures in scoring with 13 points. Cady Roedl (Fr.-Beaver Dam, Wis.) tied for a game-high four assists.
Simpson shot very well from the field tonight, 59.2 percent (29-for-49) while Eau Claire shot 21-for-57 (36.8 percent). The storm committed more turnovers than Eau Claire, 21-18, and the Blugolds converted the turnovers into 21 points.
The Blugolds will be home again Tuesday when they host St. Norbert College. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. in Zorn Arena.
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