Greetings from Zorn Arena on the campus of UW-Eau Claire, where there's another big game going on between undefeated UW-Whitewater and UW-Eau Claire, the top two women's basketball teams in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
To keep the blog somewhat in order, I'll only post updates in this particular entry rather than clog the page with both Packers and Blugolds blogs.
By the way, although the Packers game begins shortly, there is still an energetic atmosphere here at Zorn. There's a middle school band rocking out and the stands are somewhat filled, about what they'd be for a Wednesday night game. It would have been nice to see what this place would have been like if the game didn't conflict with the Packers.
A few other quick notes:
*Eau Claire Memorial star forward Katie Pospishil is in the house with several teammates. Many of the UW-Eau Claire women's basketball players were at Friday night's game between Memorial and Chippewa Falls, and all talked to Pospishil after the game (she is being recruited by UW-Eau Claire). It's nice to see her and her teammates return the favor.
*UW-Whitewater coach Keri Carollo is eight months pregnant and is still coaching. Carollo said at media day in November she planned to coach as long as possible, and it sure looks like she's living up to her word.
*Colfax graduate Rachel Woolever is a junior guard for the Warhawks, and averages about 11 minutes a game. She should see some action today.
UW-Eau Claire 25, UW-Whitewater 16, 6 minutes left in first half: It's been your typical game of runs so far. The Blugolds scored the first six points of the game only to have Whitewater score the next eight. Now the Blugolds are starting to assert themselves again. The officials are letting the players play, which is giving the game a real nice flow.
UW-Eau Claire 29, UW-Whitewater 19, Half: The Blugolds are picking up right were they left off defensively against UW-Superior. UW-Whitewater is shooting 22 percent from the floor and 23 percent on 3-pointers. The Blugolds also have a 24-15 advantage in rebounding.
But this game is far from over. Whitewater isn't 14-0 for nothing, and they certainly have the firepower to come back. Heidi Sonntag, who makes 59 percent of her 3-point attempts, played only six minutes in the first half and missed three shots.
Freshman Hannah Mesick leads UW-Eau Claire in scoring with eight points, while Heather Witt and Amanda Zenner each have seven. The Blugolds are shooting 46 percent in the first half but have 10 turnovers which have led to seven Whitewater points.
UW-Eau Claire 35, UW-Whitewater 28, 15:43 left: Sonntag didn't waste much time in asserting herself in the second half. She had a 3-pointer a little more than 2 minutes into the half as the Warhawks have cut into the Blugolds lead just a little bit. They are also having much more success in their full-court press defense, as the Blugolds have four turnovers so far.
UW-Whitewater 42, UW-Eau Claire 39, 7:40: We have a game here. The Warhawks scored 14straight points and held the Blugolds without a field goal for almost seven minutes, erasing an 11-point deficit and briefly taking a three-point lead. The Blugolds got six points from Hannah Mesick to reclaim the lead.
UW-Whitewater 55, UW-Eau Claire 53, 2:58: Just when it looked as though UW-Whitewater was going to run away with it, an inspiring few plays from senior Michelle Burns have brought the Blugolds back to life. After hitting a 3-pointer to cut the lead to three, Burns grabbed a pass out of the air on defense, which led to a free throw by Heather Witt. Sonntag answered with a 3-pointer at the other end, but Burns wasn't done. In one of the best post shots you'll ever see, Burns scored on a scoop layup while falling to the ground. Whitewater was called for a foul and she made the free throw, to bring it back to a two-point game.
UW-Eau Claire 63, UW-Whitewater 60, Final: Hannah Mesick may have led the Blugolds in points with 16, but this game belonged to Michelle Burns. The senior made big play after big play down the stretch and willed UW-Eau Claire to victory. Her three-point play with 1:26 left gave the Blugolds the lead for good, and although she missed two free throws down the stretch, she did everything else possible to help UW-Eau Claire beat the No. 2 team in the country.
I'll have more on the game later. For updates on the men's game, check here.
- John Casper Jr.
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