EAU CLAIRE, Wis. - St. Scholastica battled early but couldn't withstand a second-half surge from Wisconsin-Eau Claire, falling 85-58 Tuesday night at the Sonnentag Event Center.
The Saints (3-1) came out strong, taking an early lead behind sharp shot-making from
Ava Haus (St. Michael, MN/St. Michael-Albertville High School), who knocked down two threes in the opening quarter. CSS led 14-12 after one and continued to lead until midway through the second, using free throws from
Evie Schmitz (Burnsville, MN/St. Louis Park) and an offensive boost from
Jada Bierschbach (Richmond, MN/Rocori HS) to build a 26-18 advantage.
Eau Claire responded with a 14-1 run to close the half, flipping momentum and sending the Saints into the locker room down 34-29. The Blugolds carried that energy into the third quarter, outscoring CSS 29-13 to create separation that the Saints couldn't recover from.
Schmitz led the way with 17 points, adding four assists and 3 steals. Haus followed with 16 points, going 5-for-11 from distance, while
Kloey Lind (Pine City, MN/Pine City HS) contributed 9 points, 3 rebounds, and a block.
The Saints struggled on the boards, getting out rebounded 51-33, resulting in 23 second chance points for the Blugolds.
The Saints shot efficiently from deep (8-for-23), but the Blugolds 85-point outing was powered by a standout 32-point performance from Kyla Overskei and dominant inside play that CSS couldn't match in the second half.
St. Scholastica will look to bounce back as they return home for their next matchup on Saturday, November 22. They take on Crown at 3pm.
