Chippewa Valley Times

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's basketball team achieved a significant victory against No. 17 UW-Stevens Point, with a final score of 71-66 at the Sonnentag Event Center. Senior player Carter Huschka from Farmington, Minnesota, reached a milestone by surpassing 1,000 career points. This win marks the second time this season that the Blugolds have defeated a ranked opponent and helps them advance to third place in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC).

Carter Huschka contributed 16 points to become the 45th player in the program's history to reach this scoring milestone. Alongside him, Michael Casper and Andre Renta were key players who scored in double figures. Michael Casper, also a senior from Merrill, Wisconsin, was particularly instrumental in the second half, making five three-pointers and finishing with a team-high of 22 points. Junior Andre Renta from Hudson, Wisconsin added 20 points and six assists.

After an evenly matched first half, where UW-Eau Claire led narrowly at 33-31 thanks to Casper's last-second layup, they pulled away significantly in the second half. A series of successful three-pointers by Casper led to a decisive 16-4 run that gave the Blugolds a commanding lead of 17 points with just over twelve minutes remaining.

Despite efforts from UW-Stevens Point to close the gap with a late-game surge reducing their deficit to eight points with five and a half minutes left on the clock, UW-Eau Claire maintained their lead through effective free throw shooting in the final minutes.

UW-Eau Claire's shooting accuracy played an essential role in their victory; they made 58% of their shots from the field and succeeded on 45% of their three-point attempts. Defensively, they recorded six blocks during the game, four of which came from Huschka.

Looking ahead, UW-Eau Claire aims for their fourth consecutive win as they prepare to face UW-River Falls on Wednesday, January 29 at Page Arena in River Falls. The game is set for tip-off at 7 p.m.

###