Sports
Cassie Bandow jumping for a shot. Bandow scored 10 points in the match up against the Blugolds.
Pointers rout Eau Claire in thriller conference match-up
The Pointer
rnech142@uwsp.edu
In a game that determined who would remain atop the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point women’s basketball team knocked UW-Eau Claire down a peg with a 66-60 win.
The game remained in flux virtually until the final buzzer when the Pointers utilized a five-point run to earn their twelfth victory in a row. They are now 8-0 at the top of the WIAC standings after their 80th meeting in history with the Blugolds.
“We were tentative; we weren’t aggressive, but we’ll get there,” Coach Shirley Egner said. “For the most part I was pleased; when you are able to beat a quality team like Eau Claire and you’re able to get out with a win, regardless if it is at home or away, you’ve got to be happy.”
At halftime, UW-SP led the Blugolds 37-26, but UW-EC would come dangerously close to eliminating the gap in the second half. At one moment there was only a single point separating the teams.
Senior Janell Van Gomple led the Pointers with 16 points and six rebounds to aid in the victory.
“Janell didn’t get off to a great start. I sat her and I said, ‘Forget it. You’re not going to play if you can’t take care of the ball,’” Egner said. ”Then she was in and she just explodes.”
Freshman Cassie Bandow also had a hand in the action, scoring 10 points, while Jessie Sporle and Ashley Baker tied with a total of nine.
The Blugolds’ Heidi Arciszewski created a challenge for the Pointers with her 18 points and four assists in the game while Hannah Mesick led UW-Eau Claire with 21 points.
Egner said that the upcoming conference schedule looks good for the Pointers. They have the advantage of playing five games at home in the next month and travel only three times in conference competition.
Though the Pointers are undefeated in conference, Egner remarked that it is not time for celebration yet. Nothing is certain until that last buzzer rings.
“We’ve got to get back into the gym, do some work. We’ve got to get better and continue to work on our weaknesses,” Egner said.
