Sometimes, life is bigger than basketball. On Friday, Nov. 15, The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Women’s Basketball team hosted Bubba’s Youth Night in honor of Charlie Lonning Weber. Weber was the son of UWL Women’s Basketball Head Coach Moran Lonning who tragically passed away at only three months old in September.
Lonning commented on the support that she and her family have received during this difficult time from her players and the La Crosse community.
“This is why you give back and serve, because when you need it the most, everyone comes back for you. Love and belief are our cornerstones this year, and I think the community is in line with that. I felt it all game long,” she said.
Lonning was emotional during her pregame speech, honoring her late son Charlie.
“We’re crying all the time, but it’s because of all of the love we’re being shown,” said Lonning.
The night included memorial t-shirts, commemorating Weber as the team’s forever “sixth man”. All of the revenue from the shirts was donated to the Rising Athletes Organization, to help benefit youth athletics in the La Crosse area.
The Eagles began their home opener for the team’s 2024-2025 campaign on defense giving up two buckets but got hot early on offense, going on a 9-point run in the first 3 minutes and 34 seconds of the game. The Eagles held a five-point lead over the Bethel Royals going into the end of the first quarter, but the game was far from over.
The Royals came out swinging to start the second quarter, they took a 25-21 lead during a 13-4 run. The Royals would further extend their lead to seven points with 2:33 left to go in the first half, with a score of 30-23. The Eagles would then rebound and make the score a one possession game, with the Eagles only being down 33-31 at halftime.
The third quarter began with a battle, and the score was tied at 38 a piece with 5:43 left to go. Bethel then scored three baskets, including a three pointer to give the Royals a five point lead with just under a minute to go in the third quarter. Lauryn Milne hit a mid range jump shot to cut the lead to three and the third quarter ended with a score of 49-46.
The Eagles took over in the fourth quarter. Ali Sprangers hit two back-to-back three pointers, putting the Eagles up by three. It was all UWL from there, with the Eagles going on a 17-4 run and building up a 10 point lead. The Eagles went on to defeat the Bethel Royals 73-57 to advance to a record of 2-1 on the season.
The Eagles had four players scoring 10 or more points and had contributions from nine different players. Grace Knupp and Milne both had two assists. Sprangers led the team in boards with five. Defensively, Knupp and Milne led the team with three steals each, with Madisyn Kilboten also contributing two steals. Lindsey Knuth, Knupp and Kilboten each had one block.
The full box score and other statistics from the game can be found on the UWL Athletics website. The Eagles are back in action on Tuesday, Nov. 19 at home against Bethany Lutheran College (Minn.) in Mitchell Hall at 7 p.m.
If you are interested in making a donation to the Rising Athletes Organization to help benefit youth athletic programs within the La Crosse area, visit the Rising Athletes website.
