WIAC roundup: Essen helps Blugold women clinch home court

Feb. 27—Katie Essen hit a buzzer-beating layup to secure UW-Eau Claire women's basketball's 64-62 victory against UW-Oshkosh Friday, earning the team a series split and homecourt advantage throughout the upcoming WIAC Tournament.

Essen's night included 22 points, 10 rebounds and four assists for the 7-1 Blugolds. She led the charge as UW-Eau Claire avenged a 63-56 Wednesday loss to the Titans, who also bested the Blugolds in last year's WIAC Tournament championship game.

UW-Eau Claire needed to win to assure it will play the rest of its season at the McPhee Strength and Performance Center, the temporary home of Blugolds basketball this year. The team had already earned home court advantage in the quarterfinals and semifinals, but the Titans would have hosted the championship game with a win Friday if these two teams make it that far.

Instead, UW-Eau Claire has the potential to play in a home WIAC title bout for a second consecutive season.

Maizie Deihl scored 16 points for UW-EC, while Jessie Ruden had 15. The team shot an impressive 7 for 12 from 3-point range, with Ruden leading in that department with four makes.

Jenna Jorgensen led the Titans with 18 points.

The Blugolds open their tournament run on Monday against UW-Platteville. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

UW-Whitewater 77, UW-Stout 52: The Warhawks earned a sweep of the Blue Devils backed by 14 points from Johanna Taylor and a defensive effort that forced UW-Stout into 28 turnovers. Twenty-two of those were the result of UW-Whitewater steals.

UW-Whitewater shot nearly 65% from the field in the first quarter, building up a 28-14 lead, helping it earn a wire-to-wire victory.

Haylee Yaeger led the Blue Devils with 14 points and nearly had a double-double with nine rebounds. Anna Mutch had 13 points. UW-Stout went 2-6 in the regular season.

These teams will play for a third straight time on Monday, this time as part of the first round of the WIAC Tournament. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. in Whitewater.

Men's basketball

UW-Stout 87, UW-Whitewater 80: The Blue Devils scored the final seven points of the game, shutting the Warhawks out after UW-Whitewater tied the game at 80 with 1:40 remaining, to secure a season series sweep Friday night. Luke Geiger, who finished with a team-leading 25 points, hit a 3-pointer and the Blue Devils got a pair of free throws each from him and Armani Tinsley in the closing minutes to seal the deal.

Geiger was red hot from the jump, scoring eight of his points in the first five minutes. He shot 9 of 14 from the field.

His start helped UW-Stout build an early 17-7 lead, but the Warhawks kept things close until the very end. UW-Whitewater took one point leads with 5:25 and 4:10 remaining in the second half, yet the Blue Devils endured.

Gage Malensek scored a game-high 34 points for UW-Whitewater. Jon Ciriacks had 15 for the Blue Devils, while Tinsley had 12 and Marcus Hill accounted for 11.

The Blue Devils finished 3-5 in the regular season. They'll travel to UW-Oshkosh for a 2 p.m. tip in the first round of the WIAC Tournament on Monday.