Box Score

DULUTH, Minn. – The St. Scholastica women's basketball team led for most of the first half, but the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire outscored the Saints 38-27 in the second half to win 68-58 in the season opener on Tuesday night at Reif Gymnasium.

The Saints started out hot as after the Blugolds scored the first two points, the Saints answered with a 10-0 run making five of their first six attempts.

CSS led by as much as 12 with 14 minutes left in the half, but went without a field goal for seven minutes and Blugolds got back in the game. Eau Claire regained the lead with 2:18 left in the half and then the teams traded leads in the final two minutes with the Saints up 31-30 at the half.

The Saints shot 38-percent from the field in the half, while the Blugolds shot 44-percent. Taylor Fellbaum (Minong, Wis./Northwood HS) led the Saints with nine points in the half.

Erin Frase (Phillips, Wis./Phillips HS (UW-River Falls)) opened the second half with a 3-pointer to put CSS up 34-30. St. Scholastica held the lead until the 12:36 mark of the second half, when the Blugolds went on an 8-0 run to take a 46-41 lead.

Eau Claire would not relinquish the lead from there on out as the Saints got as close as two with 5:30 left in the game, but the Blugolds would do enough to win by a score of 68-58.

CSS shot just 24-percent in the second half, missing some layups; otherwise the outcome could have been a different story. UWEC shot 43-percent in the second half and for the game. Eau Claire made eight more free throws than the Saints and had the edge on the glass 49-36. The Blugolds recorded 12 blocks in the game.

Senior Laura Amys (South Range, Wis./Superior HS) and freshman Mariah Hovick (Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake HS) each led the Saints with 10 points. Hovick also had a team-high six rebounds and five steals. Sarah Bingea led all scorers with 16 points for the Blugolds. The Saints fall to 1-10 all-time against Eau Claire.

Next up, the Saints will take part in the MIAC/UMAC Showcase at the College of Saint Benedict on Friday and Saturday. The Saints will open with the St. Catherine University at 6 p.m. on Friday.