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Issued: November 29, 2007

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL STARTS CONFERENCE PLAY AGAINST RIVAL UW-STOUT

EAU CLAIRE, Wisc. – The UW-Eau Claire women’s basketball team will open Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) play against conference rival UW-Stout this weekend in Menomonie. The UW-Eau Claire Blugolds are in the receiving votes category in the USA Today ESPN Coaches Poll. Eau Claire leads this all-time series 40-23.

Last season these two teams met three times with the Blue Devils winning two games, one of them being the WIAC Championship. The Blugolds won the first meeting last year 59-44. This season the Blue Devils are 3-3. They have losses to Minnesota State-Mankato, St. Cloud State, and Bemidji State. All of these teams are Division II teams. Stout also played UW-Madison in exhibition, and lost 98-60. The Blue Devils’ wins are against Northwestern College, St. Scholastica, and Northland College.

The Blugolds’ record is 4-1, with the lone loss coming to University of Chicago. The Blugolds last game was a win versus Division II St. Cloud State 86-78.

Heidi Arciszewski (Jr.-Thorp, WI) leads the Blugolds in scoring with 13.6 points per game. Michelle Burns (Sr.-Eau Claire, WI/North) is right behind Arciszewski with 12.4 points per game. Hannah Mesick (Fr.-Chatfield, MN) is coming off a great game against St. Cloud with 19 points. Burns leads the team in rebounds with 26 total on the season. Arciszewski and Amanda Zenner (Sr.-Medford, WI) both have 20 rebounds on the season. Heather Witt (Jr.-Kendall, WI/Royall) is leading the team in assists with 17 and steals with 12.

Julia Hirssing leads the Blue Devils in scoring, averaging 15.2 points per game. Hirssing has 91 total points, and Lindsey Geissler is second on the team with 55 total points and 9.2 points per game average. Hirssing, a 5-11 sophomore, also leads the team with 55 total rebounds, and 20 of them offensive rebounds. Geissler also has 13 steals on the season and leads the team with 15 assists this season.

The Blue Devils are ahead of the Blugolds in scoring average. The Blue Devils average 75 points per game, and the Blugolds average 71 points per game. The Blue Devils are last in the WIAC in scoring defense, allowing 69 points per game, while the Blugolds are fourth allowing a 56 point average.

Tip-off for this game is set for 3 p.m. in Menomonie on December 1, 2007. The UW-Eau Claire men’s basketball team follows the women’s game at approximately 5 p.m.

-SB-

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