STEVENS POINT, Wis. – The UW-Stevens Point women's basketball team (9-12, 4-6) nearly erased a 28-point deficit in a 72-69 loss to visiting UW-Eau Claire (14-7, 8-2) on Saturday.
 
Junior Bailee Collins (Milton, Wis./Milton) led the Pointers in scoring with 16 points.  Fellow junior Taylor Greenheck (Sauk Prairie, Wis./Sauk Prairie) was also in double figures with 15.  Senior Carly Cerrato (De Pere, Wis./De Pere) added eight.
 
UWSP was unable to solve the Blugolds' full-court press early falling into a 21-1 hole before Erin Moran (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central) hit the first field goal for the Pointers.  Moran scored again and the deficit was 26-7 at the end of one.
 
UWEC scored the first nine points of the second quarter to push the deficit to 28.  Greenheck buried a three to spark a 7-2 burst as UWSP chipped away at the lead.  Greenheck added three more points and Grace Myklebust (Wisconsin Dells, Wis./Wisconsin Dells) hit a jumper in the closing seconds, but UWSP was down 44-23 at the half.
 
Jessica Slowik (Elcho, Wis./Elcho), Cerrato and Collins hit threes in the third as UWSP trimmed the deficit to 12 heading to the fourth.
 
A pair of free throws by Greenheck got UWSP within single digits.  Kellan Schmidt (Edgerton, Wis./Edgerton) scored to cut the lead to seven with 6:46 remaining.  Collins hit four free throws and with 2:44 to go, a basket by Greenheck got the Pointers within four.  UWEC got the lead back to eight with 23 seconds left and a three by Amber Baehman (Plainfield, Wis./Tri-County) got UWSP within a possession as time expired.
 
The Pointers head out for a two-game road trip beginning on Wednesday (Feb. 12) at UW-Oshkosh. Tip-off is slated for 7:00 p.m.