To close out the 2025-26 regular season, UW-Eau Claire women’s basketball faced conference opponent UW-La Crosse Eagles on Saturday, Feb. 21 at The Sonnentag Center.

This was senior night for the Blugolds, as fourth-years Paige Keller, Reanna Hutchinson and Kyla Overskei were recognized with a post-game ceremony.

The Blugolds entered Saturday fighting for the sixth and final spot in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament (WIAC). 

Battling with UW-Stevens Point for the final spot, the Blugold’s path to the tournament relied on UW-Oshkosh defeating UW-Stevens Point and UW-Platteville defeating UW-Stout on Saturday. 

With UW-Oshkosh’s 57-41 win over UW-Stevens point, the Blugolds needed a UW-Stout loss to reach the WIAC tournament for the first time since the 2022-23 season. 

Unfortunately for the Blugolds, UW-Stout’s 27-point effort in the fourth quarter propelled the Blue Devils to a 66-65 victory over UW-Platteville. This result eliminated the Blugolds from tournament contention, giving UW-Stevens Point the final spot.

The conclusion of UW-Stout’s game happened just a few minutes before the start of the Blugold’s matchup. Hutchinson said the team was fully aware that UW-Stout won their game, and it would be the last collegiate game for the fourth-year athletes.

In the first six minutes of the game, the Blugolds shot 3-10 from the field and committed two turnovers, as the Eagles jumped out to a 15-6 lead. The first quarter ended with the Eagles’ Malia Nelson sinking a three pointer on the fastbreak at the buzzer, making the score 20-12.

After committing four first quarter turnovers, the Blugolds forced six Eagles’ turnovers in the second quarter. Head Coach Tonja Englund said turning the ball over too much has been a theme throughout the season for the Blugolds.

“When we started taking care of the ball was when we got back into the game,” Englund said. 

In the second quarter, the Blugolds erased an eight-point deficit, bringing the Eagles’ lead down to two points with a score of 30-28 heading into halftime. The Blugolds shot an improved 53.8 percent from the field after shooting 40 percent on 15 shots in the first quarter.

Despite the Blugolds making zero three-point shots on four attempts, they were fueled by their paint offense. Twenty of the Blugolds’ 28 points came from the paint.

“We haven’t shot tremendously from the perimeter during the WIAC season,” Englund said. “That’s again where a lot of times we’ve just had to go to the mismatch on the inside or score in transition.”

It took less than two minutes into the third quarter for the Blugolds to make a three in the second half, as a three-point shot from Overskei gave the Blugolds their first lead of the night at 33-32.

The third quarter consisted of seven lead changes and ended with second-year guard Britta Demar sinking a fastbreak three-point shot at the buzzer to tie the game up 47-47.

Three-point shots from Hutchinson and Overskei kicked off the scoring for the Blugolds in the fourth quarter. Back-and-forth action eventually brought the score to 63-63 with 28 seconds left in regulation.

After a timeout from the Blugolds, Overskei attempted a jumpshot but missed, sending the game into overtime. The Blugolds’ only overtime matchup was against UW-Stout on Jan. 10, which resulted in a 72-70 loss.

A three-point shot from Nelson to start overtime gave the Eagles the lead at 66-63. A Hutchinson three-point shot brought the score back to a tie, until the Eagles erupted for seven straight points. 

The Blugolds eventually brought the Eagles’ lead down to four at 73-69 with 32 seconds left, but they eventually fell 76-69. The Blugolds shot 2-10 from the field in overtime, while the Eagles made five free throws alongside two crucial three-point shots.

Nelson led the way in scoring for the Eagles with 22 points, while first-year forward Olivia Witkowski was the leading scorer for the Blugolds with 18 points. Hutchinson and Overskei followed Witkowski with 12 and 11 points respectively. 

In talking about the three fourth-year athletes playing their final collegiate game, Englund said she knows they will be huge successes in the future.

“I know that’s because of the university, it’s because of the faculty [and] I hope it’s because of our basketball program,” Englund said. “What we try to do in our program is to be a part of that development and get them ready for the next step.”

Hutchinson, a secondary education student and graduate of Eau Claire North High School, transferred to UW-Eau Claire after spending two seasons at Des Moines Area Community College in Iowa.

Hutchinson said coming back to Eau Claire was the best decision she has made.

“I love this program [and] I’m really glad I got to finish out my last two years here surrounded by all my family and community,” Hutchinson said.

Overskei said there is a lot of talent on the team, and she is excited to see the younger athletes step up in the future.

“A lot of the underclassmen got a lot of minutes this year, so I’m excited to see them step up to the plate next year,” Overskei said. “The future is really high for them.”

Throughout their time with the program, the three fourth-year athletes accumulated 1,733 total points and 4,360 minutes on the court. 

Benes can be reached at [email protected].