Issued: March 5, 2003

WOMEN BLUGOLDS BREEZE THROUGH FIRST ROUND

EAU CLAIRE - The first ranked UW-Eau Claire women's basketball team had little trouble in the opening round of the 2003 NCAA Division III women's basketball tournament as the Blugolds topped Wisconsin Lutheran 70-49 here tonight at W.L. Zorn Arena.

The Blugolds improve to 28-1 on the season while the Warriors from Wisconsin Lutheran end the season with a mark of 18-9. Eau Claire is currently ranked No. 1 in the country according to D3hoops.com's latest NCAA Division III women's basketball rankings.

The Blugolds used a strong rebounding performance to gain the victory as Eau Claire out-rebounded the Warriors 45-30, giving them an eventual 32-18 lead in points in the paint. The Blugolds were able to hold Wisconsin Lutheran to just 36.2 percent shooting for the game while hitting 44.6 percent from the field themselves. Eau Claire also hit 40 percent from downtown in the victory.

The Blugolds showed they were ready for national tournament play as they started the game on a 9-3 run. The Warriors were held without a field goal for the first 5:06 of the game as the Blugolds played a stingy defense. Eau Claire built the lead to as much as nine before the Warriors responded with a 6-0 run to pull within three at 17-14. After a Kristi Channing (Sr-Fall Creek) lay up, the Blugolds earned a defensive stop and Janel Soppeland (Sr-Cadott) hit a huge three-pointer on the ensuing possession to put the Blugolds back on top by eight. The Warriors clawed back within five with just 1:33 remaining but the Blugolds ended the half on a 5-0 run, including a trifecta by Katie Murphy (So-La Crosse/Aquinas) with just 13 seconds remaining to give Eau Claire a 34-24 halftime advantage. Becca Spaeth (Jr-Chippewa Falls/Chi-Hi) led the Blugolds at the break with 11 points, including shooting 7-of-9 from the charity stripe.

Eau Claire extended the lead to 12 quickly in the second half but the Warriors did not play dead as they scored the next four points to pull within eight. Determined not to be involved in a close game, the Blugolds went on a 16-2 run to take a 52-30 lead with 11:23 remaining and virtually ensure a second round appearance in the national tourney. The Blugolds held a lead in the 20's for the remainder of the game and finished with a 70-49 victory.

Spaeth finished with a game-best 23 points and was one of three Blugolds with double-digit rebounds as she grabbed 10. Soppeland also finished with a double-double as she scored 10 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Channing finished with 17 points on the evening while Brooke Wozniak (Jr-Stanley/Stanley-Boyd) finished with a team-best 11 rebounds.

Julie Christensen scored a team-best 21 points for the Warriors while Sarah Metzger added 12. Alyssa Kreuger grabbed 11 rebounds in the Wisconsin Lutheran effort.

The Blugolds will host the winner of the Chapman vs. La Verne game held in Orange, California. The Blugolds will see second round action Saturday night at W.L. Zorn Arena.

Eau Claire-Wisconsin Lutheran Box

Chapman Athletics Website