UW-L Opens Season with Win over Bemidji State; Hunter Scores 1,000th Career Point

For Immediate Release: Friday, November 21, 2008

St. Paul, Minn. – The UW-La Crosse women's basketball team opened its 2008-09 season with a 87-73 victory over Bemidji State University (Minn.) Friday afternoon at the Wildwood Lodge Tip-Off Tournament at Concordia University, St. Paul. The Beavers fall to 0-2 on the season.

Mackenzie Hunter led the Eagles with 27 points in Friday's win and scored her 1,000th point in the victory. She now has 1,018 career points, 15th in school history. Hunter was seven-of-13 from the field and hit all 13 of her free throw attempts against the Beavers. She also finished with a career-high 11 rebounds to go along with four steals, three assists and one block.

UW-L's Lindsay Wahl finished with 19 points, going six-of-eight from the field and seven-of-nine at the line. Sam Aspenson scored 10 points off the bench for the Eagles and grabbed five rebounds. Dana Churchill and Amanda Waldvogel each scored nine points while Churchill added five rebounds.

The contest was tied 9-9 with 11:47 left in the first half after a Hunter layup and the Eagles then went on a 8-0 run to lead 17-9 with 10:59 remaining. Bemidji State cut the lead to 24-20, but UW-L used a 12-1 run to lead 36-21 with 4:40 left in the first half. The Eagles led 48-37 at halftime.

Bemidji State cut the lead to 12 points early in the second half, but could get no closer the rest of the game. UW-L led by as many as 22 points in the second half.

The Eagles shot 41.3% from the field, including 22.2% (two-of-nine) from three-point range. The team was 33-of-38 (86.8%) at the free throw line.

Heidi Matzke led Bemidji State with 21 points while Sydney Epema finished with 20 and Colleen McKay 11. The Beavers shot 37.7% from the field, including 24.0% (six-of-25) from three-point range. The team finished 21-of-28 (75.0%) at the line.

UW-L returns to action Saturday, November 22 at Concordia, St. Paul at 3 p.m.