Eagles open season with victory

Cal U'Ren, Staff Reporter

The UW-La Crosse Women’s Basketball began head coach Kara Middleton’s tenure with a tough win against Luther College. The game started with a fast pace as senior Rachel Atchison stepped in front of a Luther pass and took it the other way for the easy lay-up.

Luther maintained a full court press but Middleton made sure her players were prepared for the added pressure: “We worked all week on it. I had five of our offensive players against six, so after several times of doing it we knew we could do it against them. Staying away from sidelines, remaining calm and putting ourselves into good positions was a focus.” It paid off, as Atchison remained unfazed and scored UW-L’s first eight points of the game.

Midway through the first quarter, UW-L went into the media break with a 15 to seven lead. La Crosse charged out to an early lead largely because of excellent three point shooting and converting baskets off of turnovers.

After a string of poor possessions causing the lead to rise to 12 Luther called their first timeout with 8:10 left in the second quarter. The game plan discussed worked, as UW-L’s offense began to sputter. Luther’s defense clamped down defensively, and the score remained within single digits for most of the second quarter. UW-L pulled momentum back as Elise DeNoyer ended the half by driving the lane hard, earning a three point play with just two seconds left in the half.

UW-L was gifted a pair of steals to begin the second half, and the eagles continued to force turnovers and convert on free throws, allowing them to open up a comfortable 15 point lead just a few minutes into the second half. The team’s intensity and pressure seemed to make Luther noticeably flustered as they struggled on offense and began playing sloppy in every aspect. Rachel Atchison continued her stellar game with another steal and two points to follow, making UW-L’s lead twenty with four minutes left in the third quarter.

With the game appearing to be over Luther showed their heart and stormed back with a 12 to two run to begin the fourth quarter. La Crosse would not be denied though as they rallied with their own hard fought baskets, before finally putting a three point dagger in with 2:20 left to play.

Middleton articulated, “I’m really proud of how we responded and gained the momentum back.” The game is the first win of the season for the eagles and Middleton’s first for the program since joining this past year, but she says expectations still have not been made. “We have goals, we want to compete in the WIAC and see where that leads us, we also want to learn about ourselves, but our focus has been on us and being the best that we can be, so we don’t beat ourselves and are solid on both sides of the floor.” UW-L will next compete in the Cornell College Classic beginning this weekend.