EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – After winning its first seven games of the season, the College of Saint Benedict basketball team suffered its second straight loss of the year Tuesday night when it fell 60-52 to the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in Eau Claire, Wis.
 
The nonconference matchup marked the final game before the holiday break for CSB, which is now 7-2 overall.
 
After scoring just four points in the first quarter, Saint Benedict came back to outscore the Blugolds (5-4) 22-9 in the second quarter to take a 26-21 lead into halftime. Chelsey Guetter scored nine points in the second quarter, including a 3-pointer to put CSB up 18-17 with just under four minutes in the quarter.
 
Saint Benedict maintained its lead throughout the third quarter, and pushed the gap to 11, 38-27, with just over two minutes left in the quarter on a three by Courtney Nelson, but the Blugolds went on a 9-0 run to end the quarter and make it a two-point game, 38-36.
 
Eau Claire pushed its run to 16-0, and took a 43-38 lead before Annie Dittberner hit a pair of free throws just over three minutes into the fourth quarter to stop UWEC's run. The Blugolds, however, outscored Saint Benedict 11-2 to start the fourth, and led 47-40 with 4:30 left to play. A jumper by Dittberner got CSB within five, 47-42, at the 4:17 mark, but that's as close as CSB would get.
 
Guetter scored 15 points to lead CSB, which shot 34.5 percent from the field. Alison Newton added eight points and Dittberner and Nelson each finished with seven, and Guetter also had nine rebounds. Saint Benedict went 8-for-12 from the line and had 29 rebounds and 12 turnovers.
 
Anna Graaskamp led all scorers with 19 points for UWEC, which shot 40 percent from the field, and two other players also scored in double digits. The Blugolds went 18-for-25 from the line and had 41 rebounds and 17 turnovers.
 
CSB is off now until Dec. 29-30 when it plays in a tournament hosted by Catholic University in Washington, D.C. CSB starts the tournament against FDU-Florahm at 1 p.m. on Dec. 29.