EAU CLAIRE, Wis. - The UW-Whitewater women's basketball team overcame a five-point first half deficit to top UW-Eau Claire 64-57 on the road Saturday night. UW-W is 11-3 this season and undefeated, 5-0, in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The Blugolds are 3-12 and 1-5 in conference play.

UW-EC held the lead for the majority of the first half using a six point surge to take their largest lead of the game, 25-16, with 2:10 remaining in the half. The Warhawks scored six of the last eight points in the half to cut the margin to five, 27-22, at intermission.

UW-W shot just 24% from the field and was 0-8 from three point range in the first half. The Blugolds shot 39% from the floor and were 1-5 from downtown. Whitewater used a six point advantage from the free throw line (8-10 in the half) to keep the game close.

The Warhawks flipped the script on the Blugolds in the second half taking over the lead quickly and maintaining the advantage for the majority of the final 20 minutes of play although the score remained close throughout the rest game. A steal by Morgan Dahlke (Portage/Portage) with 1:56 on the clock and a score of 57-53 in favor of UW-W kept the Blugolds at bay.

Kaitlyn Thill (Belgium/Ozaukee) added a three pointer with less than a minute remaining to give Whitewater a 60-55 lead. Thill pushed the lead to six, 61-55, with a free throw with 31 seconds left. On Eau Claire's next possession, Thill did what she does best with a steal and a free throw to put the Warhawks up 62-55 with 16 ticks of the clock remaining in the game. The Blugolds scored quickly and fouled, but Reilly Stewart(Wheaton, IL/Wheaton North) made good on both free throw attempts to seal the game and the win for UW-W.

Neither team shot particularly well in the game. Whitewater was 21-70 (30%) from the floor and 2-21 from behind the arc. Eau Claire was 21-54 (39%) from the field and 2-10 from long range. The charity stripe provided a different story with both teams over 80%, UW-W 20-25 and UW-EC 13-16. The Warhawks held a 52-33 advantage on the boards including 23 off the offensive glass.

Amy Mandrell (Forsyth, IL/Maroa-Forsyth) led all players with a double-double performance. She posted 23 points, including a 7-8 showing from the free throw line, and added 16 rebounds. Thill had 12 points, five assists and four steals in the game. Kristin Sahr led the Blugolds with 14 points and eight boards.

Zorn Arena has historically been a tough place for the Warhawk women to visit. UW-W was just 3-10 in games played at Zorn during the Carollo era coming into the game. In Kachel Gym, the Warhawks are 11-2 against the Blugolds.

UW-Whitewater will head to Platteville for its next WIAC competition. The Warhawks and Pioneers are scheduled to tipoff at 7:00 Wednesday, January 15. The game will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Wisconsin/Fox Sports North.



AK/pmp