UW-Eau Claire eliminated by UW-Oshkosh
Men's basketball loss Tuesday night forces team out of WIAC Championship tournament
Spectator staff
Issue date: 2/26/09 Section: Sports
The UW-Eau Claire men's basketball team trailed the entire game and found themselves down to host UW-Oshkosh early, in what ended up being a 75-60 season-ending loss Tuesday night.
The Titans sprang out to a big lead early in the conference tournament quarterfinal and held as much as a 26-point advantage in the first half.
Oshkosh shot lights-out from 3-point range during the opening period, going 7-for-9 from the perimeter and 57 percent from the floor. Eau Claire's offense struggled early, shooting just 33 percent from the field and missing all five 3-point attempts during the first 20 minutes.
The Titans hounded the 'Golds in rebounding and defense during the first half as well, finishing the period with 18 boards and five steals to Eau Claire's 12 rebounds and two takeaways.
In the second half, the Blugolds brought the game to within 11 points with nine minutes left on the clock, but that was as close as they got to a comeback.
Eau Claire's offense warmed up in the second half, with players shooting 54 percent from the field and hitting nearly half of their 13 shots from behind the 3-point arc. But the Titans again shined on defense, coming away with six steals to Eau Claire's four and wrangling 21 second-half rebounds to the Blugolds' 13.
Senior Dan Beyer led Eau Claire in scoring during the first half with seven points, but was held to just two points in the second.
Junior Colin Boone ended up leading Eau Claire in scoring with 19 points, and junior Geoff Probst seconded the effort with 11 of his own. Probst, Beyer and freshman Josh Prince each finished the game with five rebounds, with Prince leading the way on defense with three steals.
It was Titan junior D.J. Marsh who ran away with the game, though. Marsh finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds to finish the match with a conference-best 10th double-double of the season. Three other Titans scored in double digits.
Oshkosh will play UW-Stevens Point tonight at 7 p.m. in the tournament semifinals. Point, the 2009 conference champion, beat Oshkosh twice this season by an average margin of about 10 points.
- Spectator staff
The Titans sprang out to a big lead early in the conference tournament quarterfinal and held as much as a 26-point advantage in the first half.
Oshkosh shot lights-out from 3-point range during the opening period, going 7-for-9 from the perimeter and 57 percent from the floor. Eau Claire's offense struggled early, shooting just 33 percent from the field and missing all five 3-point attempts during the first 20 minutes.
The Titans hounded the 'Golds in rebounding and defense during the first half as well, finishing the period with 18 boards and five steals to Eau Claire's 12 rebounds and two takeaways.
In the second half, the Blugolds brought the game to within 11 points with nine minutes left on the clock, but that was as close as they got to a comeback.
Eau Claire's offense warmed up in the second half, with players shooting 54 percent from the field and hitting nearly half of their 13 shots from behind the 3-point arc. But the Titans again shined on defense, coming away with six steals to Eau Claire's four and wrangling 21 second-half rebounds to the Blugolds' 13.
Senior Dan Beyer led Eau Claire in scoring during the first half with seven points, but was held to just two points in the second.
Junior Colin Boone ended up leading Eau Claire in scoring with 19 points, and junior Geoff Probst seconded the effort with 11 of his own. Probst, Beyer and freshman Josh Prince each finished the game with five rebounds, with Prince leading the way on defense with three steals.
It was Titan junior D.J. Marsh who ran away with the game, though. Marsh finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds to finish the match with a conference-best 10th double-double of the season. Three other Titans scored in double digits.
Oshkosh will play UW-Stevens Point tonight at 7 p.m. in the tournament semifinals. Point, the 2009 conference champion, beat Oshkosh twice this season by an average margin of about 10 points.
- Spectator staff
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