On Dec. 3, the UW-Eau Claire men’s basketball team played UW-LaCrosse. 

The team started off the first half with a score of 14-2, giving them a strong footing for the rest of the game, according to Michael Casper, a third-year biochemistry student. 

“We showed what we could do right at the beginning,” Casper said. “We came out with a lot of energy. We moved the ball, played defense and communicated right off the bat.”

The Blugolds went on the win the first half with a score of 39-34, according to blugolds.com. 

“We really wanted to play and we were all ready and excited going into it,” Casper said. “We knew it was going to be a challenge, but it’s always a great opportunity to get to play against one of the best teams in the conference.”

Three players scored in the double digits during the game, according to Siverling. Alex Voigt, a fourth-year finance and accounting student, was the team’s top scorer. He racked up a total of 22 points by the end of the game. 

“Our outside shots have been a priority for us this year,” David Ijadimbola, a third-year accounting and finance student, said.

Spencer Page, a fourth-year finance and accounting student, Casper and Ijadimbola all made shots from the three-point line, early in the game. These shots gave the team a 16-point lead in the first half. 

“I think we shot really well from the three-point line and I think we did a really good job defensively on every one of their players except two,” said head men’s basketball coach, Matt Siverling. 

Ijadimbola said that the team faced some challenges during the start of the second half, but was able to come back at the 16-minute mark. 

“We started off the second half a little bit slower than we would’ve liked, but once we got comfortable we really got it going,” Ijadimbola said. 

The game ended with a score of 84-77, with UW-Eau Claire falling to UW-Lacrosse. 

“Lacrosse is a really good basketball team,” Siverling said. “They were undefeated coming into this game so we knew it was going to be a difficult game for us, but I thought our guys were up to the challenge and played really well during the game.”

UW-Lacrosse is ranked No. 4 in the nation, according to blugolds.com. 

“We felt confident going into the game,” Ijadimbola said. “They’re one of the best teams, but we play them every year and are familiar with the guys.” 

According to Siverling, this was the team’s last conference game until January, giving them a chance to play some nonconference teams in the meantime. 

“We have a chance right now to get back into the gym and hopefully improve on some of the things we need to improve on,” Siverling said. “We try to care of the basketball on the offensive side of the floor, limit our turnovers and be a good defensive team.”

The Blugolds’ next game is against the Wartburg College Knights. The game will take place at 7 p.m. on Dec. 7 in McPhee. 

Allessi can be reached at [email protected].