Feb. 18, 2017 – West Bend, WI – The UW-WC Wildcats took on the Cougars of UW-Waukesha in a WCC quarterfinal match-up on Saturday and edged the Cougars 55 – 52 to advance to the State Tournament.
The game was a defensive struggle from start to finish. The first quarter posted a score of 13-11 with the Cougars leading the Wildcats.
At the half the Cougars pulled ahead 24-22.
Both teams struggled to shoot from the field. At the start of the second half, the Cougars opened a lead on a 5-0 run but the Wildcats responded with a run of its own and the teams continued to trade punches.
Halfway through the 4th quarter, UW-Waukesha opened an 11-point lead and seemed to be in control.
Then the Wildcats Holly Hamm dumped in three straight baskets for a 6-0 run to get UW-WC back in the game.
Trailing 49-43 the Wildcats began to lock down on defense, and shot 5 of 7, including four free throws to take the lead and seal the game.
The final score was UW-Washington winning 55-52 over the Cougars.
Ciara Dricken lead the Wildcats with 17 points, and Megan Breuer added another 15.
The Wildcats advance to the State Tournament next week Saturday at Just A Game Complex in the Wisconsin Dells.
UW-WC plays the winner of UW-Marinette and UW-Fox Valley.