UW-Whitewater held on to a share of first place in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with a 62-54 win over UW-Eau Claire at Kachel Gym in Williams Center in Whitewater Saturday afternoon. Warhawk senior guard Kelsey Hendrickson (Monroe/Monroe) passed the 1,000 point mark for her career and broke the school record for steals in a season while leading Whitewater to the win.
complete results
photo gallery (courtesy of Tim Gumz)
Eau Claire built a nine point lead, 34-25, with 3:36 left in the first half. By halftime the Warhawks, who held the Blugolds scoreless the rest of the way, had whittled the lead to 34-31.
The teams played it close to the vest in the second half, neither squad holding more than a two point lead until Whitewater led 51-48 on a three-pointer by Nicole Bundy (Fredonia/Ozaukee) with 4:42 left. UW-W never let go of the lead, but EC closed to within two points with 2:45 left. The final margin was the largest lead for Whitewater in the game.
The difference in the game was easy to spot -- Whitewater made more than twice as many free throws as Eau Claire attempted. Whitewater was 25-28 from the line (.893), equaling the second highest number of free throws the Warhawks have made in a game this season. Eau Claire was 7-12 from the line.
Kelsey Hendrickson (Monroe/Monroe) led UW-Whitewater with 20 points, 12 of those coming at the line. Hendrickson has accumulated 1,007 points in her career, the ninth player in school history to reach 1,000 points. She also led both teams with eight rebounds, six assists, and three steals. The steals give her 91 for the season, breaking the school single season record of 90 formerly held by Trisha Thill (2006-2007 season). Bundy also scored in double figures, with 11 points.
The Blugolds were led by junior center Hannah Mesick, who scored a game high 22 points. Mesick accounted for six of Eau Claire's seven made free throws. Mesick and senior center Jodi Lindner grabbed six rebounds apiece. Freshman forward Sarah Bingea contributed 13 points.
UW-Whitewater will close the regular season with a pair of home games. The Warhawks will host UW-Oshkosh Wednesday at 7:00 and UW-Superior Saturday at 1:00, both games in Kachel Gym in Williams Center.
The WIAC tournament will begin play Tuesday, February 23. The top two teams in the league earn first round byes, with #3 playing #6, and #4 playing #5, Tuesday at 7:00. The number one and two seeds will host second round games February 25, with the championship game set for Saturday.
For additional information: Keri Carollo, UW-W coach
