Chippewa Valley Times

BEREA, Ohio — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire women's basketball team saw their four-game winning streak halted by No. 19 Carnegie Mellon, who secured a 71-48 victory on Sunday at the Baldwin Wallace Invitational. Key performances in the second and fourth quarters allowed the Tartans to overcome the Blugolds, pushing UW-Eau Claire into Monday's tournament consolation game.

Kyla Overskei, a junior from Maple Grove, Minnesota, scored nearly half of UW-Eau Claire's points with a total of 21. Despite her efforts, it was insufficient for the Blugolds (4-6) to achieve an upset. The team started strong against their ranked opponents with a 6-2 run but ended the first quarter trailing 16-13.

Carnegie Mellon (10-0) extended their lead significantly in the second quarter with a 7-0 run that widened the gap to ten points. A series of successful three-pointers further increased their advantage to fifteen by halftime, leaving UW-Eau Claire behind at 33-20.

The Blugolds managed to reduce their deficit to single digits when Overskei hit a three-pointer with 2:56 remaining in the third quarter, bringing the score to 40-31. However, they could not close the gap further as Carnegie Mellon outscored them 26-17 in the final quarter.

Reanna Hutchinson contributed eight points for UW-Eau Claire while Jessilyn Ernst added six points and ten rebounds. The Blugolds shot 33% from the field and achieved a 50% success rate from the free throw line. In contrast, Carnegie Mellon had an overall shooting percentage of 46%.

Next up for UW-Eau Claire is a match against either No. 20 Baldwin Wallace or Alma in the tournament consolation game scheduled for Monday, December 30 at Baldwin Wallace University. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. Eastern time.

For more updates on UW-Eau Claire's season, fans can visit Blugolds.com or follow on social media platforms including Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.