Chippewa Valley Times

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's basketball team faced a challenging game against Gustavus Adolphus College, resulting in an 86-80 overtime loss at the Sonnentag Event Center. This match marked their final appearance at the Market & Johnson Blugold Tip-Off Tournament.

Throughout the first half and into the early stages of the second half, UW-Eau Claire (1-1) maintained a steady lead. However, Gustavus Adolphus, who received votes in the D3hoops.com Preseason Top 25, managed to close the gap during the second half and ultimately forced overtime. In overtime, Gustavus outscored UW-Eau Claire 14-8 to secure their victory.

The game began with a strong start for UW-Eau Claire as they opened with a 9-3 run. Although Gustavus made efforts to catch up, Drew Maloney's back-to-back three-pointers highlighted a 10-3 run that helped extend UW-Eau Claire's lead to 11 points by halftime. The Blugolds entered halftime with a 35-28 advantage.

UW-Eau Claire extended their lead further with an 8-2 run at the beginning of the second half, achieving their largest lead of 43-30. Despite this advantage, Gustavus shot an impressive 59% from the field in the second half and took their first lead with just over six minutes remaining.

Cade Hall briefly put UW-Eau Claire ahead with a go-ahead three-pointer late in regulation; however, a free throw by Gustavus tied the game and led to overtime. In overtime, Gustavus closed on a decisive 7-1 run to claim victory.

Andre Renta achieved a career-high performance with 19 points for UW-Eau Claire. Michael Casper contributed 18 points while Drew Maloney added another solid performance with 17 points and eight rebounds. Carter Huschka also scored in double figures with 11 points.

UW-Eau Claire finished shooting at an overall rate of 40%, hitting only 34% in the second half and dropping further to just 17% during overtime.

Looking ahead, UW-Eau Claire will travel for their next challenge at the Marietta Shrine Tournament from November 15th to November16th where they are set to face host team Marietta on November15th at8 p.m.Eastern time.

Fans can follow updates about upcoming games through various platforms including Blugolds.com or via social media channels such as Twitter Instagram Facebook along using mobile app "Blugold Sports."