SUPERIOR, Wis. – The Yellowjacket men's basketball team faced off against Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) foe UW-Eau Claire Wednesday. Despite taking an early lead in the first half, the Blugolds were able to counter in the second half and earn a victory on the road by a 67-48 decision.
 
Senior Josef Fahrenholtz (Chatfield, Minn./Chatfield) got the Yellowjackets on the board early with a shot within the arc, who was followed by classmate J'Vaun Walker (Rosharon, Texas/Manvel) notching one of his own for an early 4-0 lead. UW-Eau Claire would nail a three pointer and a jumper to get within one, but T.J. Moberg (Champlin, Minn./Champlin Park) snagged the ball from Carter Lichtsinn and converted on the fastbreak.
 
The Blugolds remained in striking distance, but Walker hit another jumper to give a 10-9 edge before Nolan Blair and Carter Huschka hit a combined three jump shots to allow for a 15-10 lead. Sophomore Evan Bennett (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) would then take a foul from Cade Hall and sunk his two free throws, but Lichtsinn would nail a shot beyond the arc to keep things close.
 
Time would tick off the clock and Walker would nab a steal from Nolan Blair, sprinting down the court and finishing a dunk to keep the 'Jackets within three at 18-15. UW-Eau Claire's Gunnar Tebon would kill the momentum for the Yellowjackets after hitting a deep three pointer, but Fahrenholtz would take a feed from senior Joey Barker (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) and hit a jumper inside the paint.
 
The Yellowjackets would then attempt shots from downtown as Reid Johnson (Chatfield, Minn./Chatfield) would enter the scoring before the Blugolds continued to produce a balanced offensive attack, ending the first half of action with a 29-22 lead.
 
Both squads would open the second half with scoring of their own, but the Blugolds began to apply more pressure as they took a 42-24 lead. Fahrenholtz, Walker and Moberg would contribute the scoring for the Yellowjackets early on before junior Ty Melchert (Green Bay, Wis./Green Bay Southwest) hit a shot from downtown after receiving a pass from freshman Max Briggs (Woodbury, Minn./New Life Academy). After UW-Eau Claire countered, Briggs would hit a jumper of his own after a feed from Walker to bring the game to 50-38.
 
The Blugolds continued to pour it on after capitalizing on Yellowjacket miscues. After the halfway point of the second half, head coach Greg Polkowski turned to his bench to provide offensive output. Junior Luke Fehrenbacher (Batavia, Ill./Batavia) began the scoring for the bench with a jumper, which was followed by freshman Andrew Beers (Slinger, Wis./Slinger).
 
Fehrenbacher would secure another layup, but later would miss a three pointer to be picked up by freshman Rocco Paulson (Duluth, Minn./East), as the fan-favorite notched his first two collegiate points off a jumper.
 
The Blugolds would score another jumper with seconds remaining on the scoreboard to bring the game to a close, as UW-Eau Claire topped the Yellowjackets by a 67-48 decision.
 
Walker finished his evening with 14 points and two rebounds, while Fahrenholtz scored eight and grabbed six boards. Ten total Yellowjackets contributed at least two points on the evening.
 
The Yellowjackets will pause game action as they prepare for the Nicolet National Bank Holiday Tournament on the campus of Saint Norbert College. They will face off against Dubuque on Friday, Dec. 29 at 5 p.m. inside Mulva Family Fitness and Sports Center.