WIAC basketball roundup (12/1): UW-Eau Claire women use range to run past UW-Oshkosh

Dec. 2—The UW-Eau Claire women's basketball team unleashed a barrage of 3-pointers in Wednesday's WIAC opener against UW-Oshkosh. The good news for the Blugolds: A lot of them found the bottom of the net.

The 11th-ranked Blugolds knocked down 12 shots from beyond the arc, shooting 63% from deep, to down the No. 20 Titans 70-57 at Zorn Arena.

"The 3-point shooting is a product of when you make the great extra pass," Blugolds coach Tonja Englund said. "A lot of those were when we were double-teamed, kicking out to somebody who hit an open 3-point shot."

Jessie Ruden was a major source of headaches for the Titans. The Eau Claire guard made six 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 21 points.

"Some of the shots that Jessie hit coming off the ball screens are just tough. There's not a lot you can do about them," Englund said. "When Jessie gets in the flow, it makes a difference. I think Jessie right now is really the one a lot of times who is just answering."

Eau Claire opened the game on a 10-1 run, but it still wasn't easy against its longtime conference rival. The Titans eventually clawed their way back into the contest, tying the game at 20 in the second quarter.

But the Blugolds fell back on what was working. They drilled three consecutive 3-pointers to reestablish a healthy lead.

After falling behind by double figures for much of the third quarter, the Titans eventually closed the gap to seven points midway through the final period. But Ruden promptly knocked down her sixth 3-point shot to flip momentum the Blugolds' way for good.

"It did feel like that (was a momentum-changer), but also I saw our defense really just focus on getting the people that we needed to get done, lock them down and keep playing as a team," Ruden said. "Each shot made a difference."

Bailey Reardon scored 18 points and grabbed five rebounds for the Blugolds. Courtney Crouch added 13 points. In addition to her 21 points, Ruden had six rebounds and six assists.

UW-Stout 77, UW-River Falls 70: The Blue Devils stormed back in the second half to overturn an early deficit and win their WIAC opener.

The Falcons led 40-31 at halftime, but Stout controlled the second half to rally. The Blue Devils opened the third quarter with a 13-4 run to get within striking distance, and Raegan Sorensen tied the game at 53 with a layup in the final 10 seconds of the period.

The two teams traded blows early in the fourth quarter before Stout took the lead for good on Anna Mutch's free throw with 5:29 to go. A 9-0 run in the waning minutes clinched a victory for the Blue Devils.

Mutch finished with 16 points to lead all Stout scorers. She added nine rebounds. Lizzy Olsem had 13 points and eight rebounds, and Amanda Giesen added 12 points.

Men's basketball

UW-Oshkosh 69, UW-Eau Claire 60: A 10-1 run midway through the second half gave the 10th-ranked Titans some breathing room, and they rode it to a win over the Blugolds in each side's WIAC opener.

Oshkosh led 35-32 with 15:44 left in regulation. The Titans scored 10 of the next 11 points to go ahead by 12, and the Blugolds couldn't quite recover. Eau Claire got the lead down to seven with a minute remaining, but never got any closer.

Michael Casper scored 18 points to lead the Blugolds. David Ijadimbola added 15 points, while Carter Brooks had five points and 10 rebounds. Eau Claire had 14 turnovers and lost the rebounding battle 37-31.

Hunter Plamann had a game-high 20 points to power the Titans.

UW-Stout 81, UW-River Falls 74: The Blue Devils secured their first WIAC victory with their first opportunity, knocking off the Falcons in their conference opener. Armani Tinsley led the charge with 20 points, six rebound and four assists for Stout.

The Blue Devils turned an early 10-9 lead into a 20-9 advantage with a 10-0 run, and the Falcons never recovered. Stout held a steady lead the rest of the way, with the deficit never shrinking smaller than five points.

Jon Ciriacks scored 18 points and secured eight rebounds for the Blue Devils. Lovell Williams added 16 points and five rebounds.

Eau Claire North graduate Noah Hanson scored 17 to lead River Falls.