Issued: February 5, 2003

BLUGOLD MEN HIT EAGLES WITH THREES

LA CROSSE - The UW-Eau Claire men's basketball team nailed a season-high 12 three-point shots and held off a late Eagle rally en route to defeating Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opponent UW-La Crosse 74-64 here tonight at Mitchell Hall.

The Blugolds' record moves to 13-8 on the season and 5-7 in WIAC action while the Eagles fall to 5-15 overall and just 1-10 in conference play. The Blugolds have won 36 of the last 42 meetings between the two teams.

The Blugolds used eight blocks compared to the Eagles' one to limit La Crosse to just 10 points in the paint. Eau Claire out-shot the Eagles 46.4 to 37.1 percent from the field.

The Blugolds caught fire from behind the three-point arc in the first half as they hit 8-10 from downtown. La Crosse kept the game interesting early on but the Blugolds went on a 27-9 run to end the first half, turning a 21-16 lead into a 48-25 halftime margin. The run spanned the final 9:39 of the first half.

La Crosse was determined to close the gap in the second half and did so with a 16-2 run ranging from 14:23 to 6:42 left on the clock. The Eagles sliced the lead to just three points with 4:18 remaining but Jason Larson (Sugarland, TX/Stephen F. Austin) hit a huge three-point shot, his sixth of the night, to give Eau Claire a six-point cushion. After a critical stop for the Blugold defense, Andy Witte (Sr-Madison/Monona Grove) hit a two-point shot to extend the lead to eight. Dan Archambault (So-Oshkosh/West) hit all four free throws he attempted in the final 2:12 to seal the deal for the Blugolds.

Larson led the way for Eau Claire as he totaled 25 points, five assists, and three steals on the evening. The senior guard was 6-9 from long distance in setting the team season-high for trifectas in a single game. Witte posted a double-double for Eau Claire as he scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as well as posting four assists. Archambault also got into the scoring action with 11 points to go along with six assists and three steals.

Casey Taggatz scored a team-high 25 points for the Eagles in the loss while Kyle Boland grabbed 11 rebounds. La Crosse converted on just 7-24 three-point shots they attempted.

Eau Claire resumes conference action this Saturday as they host the Falcons from River Falls. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. at W.L. Zorn Arena.

Eau Claire-La Crosse Box