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The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women's basketball team will begin its 18th straight appearance in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Tuesday against UW-Eau Claire at 7 p.m. at Kachel Gymnasium.
 
Tickets are available at the door and cost $8 for adults, $4 for seniors (ages 62 and older) and $3 for both youth and WIAC students with a valid student ID. Regular season or lifetime conference passes are valid during the tournament.
 
The Blugolds are seeded fifth, while the Warhawks are the No. 4 seed in the tournament. The two teams tied for fourth in the conference standings, but the Warhawks earned the tiebreaker by virtue of owning the best win against teams above fourth in the standings.
 
UW-Whitewater held a 41-29 edge advantage, including an 18-3 advantage on the offensive glass, but was held to 31.3 percent shooting in a 68-55 loss against UW-Eau Claire Saturday at Kachel Gymnasium. The Blugolds took the lead for good with under one minute to play in the second quarter, with the Warhawks getting as closes as one point with seven minutes to play in the third quarter.
 
The Warhawks enter the week ranked 17th in the D3hoops.com Women's Top 25 and 16th in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association USA TODAY Sports NCAA Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll.
 
UW-Whitewater posted its best start to a season since 2007-08 with 12 straight wins to open up the 2015-16 campaign. The team wrapped up the regular season at 19-6 overall and 8-6 in WIAC play to finish fourth in the league standings.
 
UW-Eau Claire started the season at 2-6, but is 11-6 since Dec. 12. The Blugolds have won three straight and four of their last five entering the postseason, including victories over two nationally ranked opponents (UW-Stevens Point and UW-Whitewater).
 
UW-Eau Claire was the No. 2 seed in the 2015 WIAC Championship, but was knocked off in the semifinals by a 65-36 score against UW-Oshkosh. The Blugolds are 11-3 all time in first round games, and have won three WIAC Tournament championships.
 
Series
UW-Eau Claire leads the all-time series, 49-34. The Warhawks have won seven of the last 10 meetings between the two teams, and are 11-5 against the Blugolds in home games under head coach Keri Carollo. The road teams are 2-0 this season in the two games between the two programs. Prior to UW-Eau Claire's win last Saturday, UW-Whitewater edged the Blugolds 54-52 on Jan. 23 in Eau Claire. Brooke Trewyn (Whitewater/Whitewater) put the Warhawks ahead for good on a free throw with 19 seconds to play in regulation and blocked a go-ahead layup attempt on the other end.
 
Up Next
The winner of Tuesday's contest advances to the WIAC Tournament semifinals, which will be played at No. 1 seed UW-River Falls and No. 2 UW-Oshkosh on Thursday at 7 p.m. The lowest remaining seed in the tournament will play at UW-River Falls.