WHITEWATER, Wis. (Blugolds.com) – The UW-Eau Claire women's basketball team was unable to get a win over 11th-ranked UW-Whitewater, which was needed to keep the Blugolds' postseason hopes alive, falling to the Warhawks 73-53 at Kachel Gymnasium Saturday evening.
The Blugolds started the game strong, outscoring the Warhawks 13-7 over the first seven minutes. Eau Claire still led with five minutes remaining in the opening half, 19-17, but Whitewater then used a 13-0 run to take an 11-point lead. Eau Claire hit one more shot before halftime, making the halftime score 30-22 in favor of Whitewater.
Eau Claire got as close as six points after that, early in the second half, but the Warhawks outscored the Blugolds 19-4 over a six minute stretch to build a 22-point lead, their largest of the night.
Over the final nine minutes the Blugolds outscored the Warhawks 19-17 but only got as close as 14 points with less than four minutes to play.
Courtney Lewis (Jr.-Prairie du Chien, Wis.) led the Blugolds in scoring with 14 points while she completed a double-double with a game-high 11 rebounds.
The Blugolds finished the game shooting 35 percent (21-for-60) from the field while the Warhawks shot 43.1 percent (28-for-65). A total of 56 of Whitewater's points came off the bench while the Blugolds had just 10.
Eau Claire ends the season with a record of 7-18 overall and 5-11 in the WIAC while the Warhawks improve to 22-3 overall and 16-0 in conference play
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