Previewing the WIAC women's title game

The top-seeded UW-Eau Claire women’s basketball team had Zorn Arena rocking Thursday night in an 86-61 rout of fourth-seeded rival UW-Stout in the semifinals of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament. But one of the most enthusiastic roars from the crowd of 1,409 came after the game, when it was announced that third-seeded UW-Stevens Point upset second-seeded UW-Whitewater, 79-71, in the other semifinal.

Technically, the Pointers were the underdogs. But they’ve shown all season long that they can run with –- and defeat –- anyone else in the conference. And that includes the Blugolds.

The Blugolds (22-5) host the Pointers (23-4) in the WIAC tournament championship game at 3 p.m. Saturday at Zorn Arena, and the winner will earn the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament. The teams split their regular-season series, with the Blugolds winning, 62-54, on Jan. 23 at Zorn Arena and the Pointers getting even with a 57-43 victory Feb. 13 in Stevens Point.

Three things the Blugolds must do to defeat the Pointers this time:

1. Contain the Pointers’ athletic guards: The Pointers usually start three of them –- Katie Webber, Jessi Sporle and Haley Houghton. Houghton is their biggest scoring threat, averaging 12.8 points per game and scoring from just about everywhere on the court, but all three guards are matchup headaches. Neither Webber nor Sporle averages more than 10 per game, but both are smart, move well without the ball and create opportunities for their teammates. Heather Witt, Amanda Zenner, Heidi Arciszewski, Missy Fremstad and Rachel Mueggenborg will have their hands full Saturday.

2. Shut down the Pointers’ perimeter game: Houghton has drilled more 3-pointers this season (53) than anyone else in the conference, and forward Laura Neuenfeldt (41) is sixth in the WIAC. As a forward who can do just as much damage outside as inside, Neuenfeldt especially is dangerous, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Michelle Burns seeing a lot of that assignment. Since Blugolds freshman forward Hannah Mesick spends much of her time in the paint, it likely will be on Burns to keep Neuenfeldt quiet. Of course, the Blugolds will count on Witt and Mueggenborg to establish their own presence outside the arc. Mueggenborg has been especially surgical of late, nailing a school-record nine treys in the WIAC quarterfinals against UW-River Falls on Tuesday at Zorn Arena.

3. Get the ball to Michelle Burns: This one shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Burns has become the Blugolds’ unquestioned go-to player down the stretch, and there aren’t many players in the WIAC with the ability to both slow her in the paint and chase her around the outside. She averages 14.7 points per game – fourth in the WIAC –- and 6.3 boards –- fifth in the WIAC. But, more than that, she’s been there before, she’s poised, and she’s the glue that holds her team together. She scored a combined 31 points in the teams’ first two meetings. She’s got a lot of reliable help around her in veterans Witt, Zenner and Arciszewski, and her presence both inside and outside could set the game’s tone early in what should be a jam-packed Zorn Arena.

-Justin Harings