The UW-Eau Claire men’s basketball team picked up a crucial 66-62 win over UW-Stevens Point on Feb. 15 at Quandt Fieldhouse, snapping a two-game losing streak and building momentum ahead of the WIAC conference tournament.
The victory ensured a home playoff game for the Blugolds, a significant achievement after missing last year’s conference tournament.
Fourth-year guard Michael Casper said the win is important after tough losses to La Crosse and Platteville.
“We could have snowballed the losses. I’m glad that didn’t happen. I think we kind of laid an egg on that last Platteville one, and we showed that wasn’t us. So it was really good to come back and get that win, come back with energy. I love how we responded to that,” Casper said.
With two games left in the regular season, the Blugolds are in third place in the conference and looking to solidify their postseason position. Fourth-year forward Cade Hall said there is significance to each game down the stretch.
“Unless we win the conference tournament, which would be tough just because we’re in a tough league, we’re looking at an at-large bid. So we’ve really got to win the next four if we want to feel comfortable,” Hall said.
UW-Eau Claire has kept nearly all of its games close this season, even in losses. Casper said he attributes that consistency to the team’s execution and energy.
“We can compete with anybody. It’s just a couple plays that sometimes don’t go our way, and some shots don’t go in sometimes,” Casper said. “But other than that, our energy is there. Our details are there.”
Hall said he credited the team’s preparation and experience.
“Every game we’re prepared. We have a game plan of how we’re going to attack teams, how we’re going to guard teams,” Hall said. “We’re a mature team. We’ve played a lot of games, so if we go down by six or seven points, we know it’s not over.”
That composure was evident against Stevens Point. After trailing by five in the second half, the Blugolds finished with a 14-5 run to close out the game. The ability to make plays late has defined this team throughout the season and it will be crucial in the postseason.
Despite the success, the Blugolds know they still have areas to improve, especially on offense. Head coach Zach Malvik said that the team has relied heavily on its top scorers and needs additional contributions.
“We’ve relied on our two main guys offensively a lot. Hopefully, as we kind of finish, we can get some other guys to step up and help us score the ball a little more, just so we don’t put pressure on those two as much as we have been,” Malvik said.
Casper said he recognized the importance of diversifying the team’s offensive production.
“If we can get some other guys going, I think we can add another 15 points from somebody else, and that’d be huge,” Casper said. “Just going into another game, take some pressure off Andre and Hoosh a little bit.”
Defensively, the team is looking for further consistency, but Malvik said he is pleased with the progress in his first season as head coach.
“I’m pleased in year one of where our culture is and the improvements guys have made. Just kind of establishing an identity, I think we’ve done a lot of good things,” Malvik said.
As the regular season winds down, the team remains locked in. Hall said that the mindset within the locker room is to keep winning rather than focusing on the possibility of the season ending.
“There’s definitely some feelings, but honestly, I think everybody is more just focused on winning games and kind of making it last as long as possible instead of thinking about how it could end,” Hall said.
Malvik said he emphasizes a long-term vision for the program.
“Everything we do, we’re constantly building. How hard our guys play and compete is something that’s got to be a staple of what we do,” Malvik said. “And then, just continuing to be a program that has guys who want to get better and continue to develop — that’s going to be a big part of what we do.”
With the WIAC tournament approaching, the Blugolds are focused on taking their momentum into their next game against UW-Oshkosh on Feb. 19 at the Sonnentag Event Center.
Voelker can be reached at voelkerw0364@uwec.edu.
