After a loss to UW-Whitewater on Saturday, the UW-Eau Claire women’s basketball team will turn its focus to UW-La Crosse in the first round of the WIAC playoffs tonight at Zorn Arena.

A win at Whitewater would have put the Blugolds into the WIAC tournament as the second seed with home court advantage until the championship, but a 61-49 loss put the team as the third seed.

The Blugolds, 11-5 in the WIAC and 17-8 overall, split the season series against La Crosse, winning the most recent matchup 66-49 at Zorn Arena on Jan. 20. La Crosse defeated the Blugolds 68-51 on Dec. 2.

Saturday’s loss at Whitewater proved to be another tough test for the Blugolds. The ‘Golds led early in the game, taking an 18-14 lead in the first half, but with the score tied at 20-20, the Warhawks went on a nine-point run to lead 29-20 at the halfway mark. The Blugolds shot only 26.7 percent in the first half and turned the ball over nine times.

The Blugolds got back in the game and cut the lead to as few as two points on several occasions in the second half, but the Warhawks opened up a 10-point lead at 52-42. After junior Michelle Burns made a couple of shots, the ‘Golds trailed 52-47, but the Warhawks pulled away and closed the game on a 9-2 run.

Sophomore Brittanni Hakanson scored 12 points and was the only Blugold to score in double digits. Burns had nine points to go along with her team-high 10 rebounds.

The Blugolds host the Eagles (13-12 overall) tonight at 7 p.m.