The Blugolds one-two punch delivered at crunch time Saturday night to knock out UW-L 78-72 in a Wisconsin State University Conference battle waged before 374 spectators and a regional television audience.
Fisher, a former Eau Claire Regis High School star, drained five of six 3-point shots, including two in the last five minutes of the game, and finished with 20 points to lead the Blugolds.
``We struggled to defend him tonight,'' UW-L coach Charlie Gross said. ``That was a big disappointment on the defensive end. He was a person who was a key in their victory.''
Eau Claire improved to 3-2 in the WSUC, 9-4 overall, and maintained its fourth-place spot in the conference. UW-L, which is still fighting to reach the upper half of the league, fell to 1-4, 9-4 with its fourth loss in its last five games.
``Prior to the Oshkosh game, I felt we could take the floor against any team in the league and win,'' Gross said. ``We're getting back there (to that point). Of the four teams we've lost to, I would feel confident taking the court tomorrow against any of them.''
What did UW-Eau Claire coach Terry Gibbons think? It's a question which will remain unanswered as the Blugolds flew off the court, showered (perhaps), boarded their bus and departed in less than 20 minutes after the game.
It seems the Blugolds' hustle didn't stop once the game did.
The game mirrored last year's tussle between the two teams as Eau Claire led most of the contest only to have UW-L rally late in the second half. Unlike last year's 81-76 UW-L overtime victory, UW-Eau Claire hit the clutch shots, the clutch free throws to make sure their would be no overtime.
UW-Eau Claire was 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the final 24 seconds.
``You have to give Eau Claire credit. They made some big shots in our building, which doesn't happen a lot in this league,'' UW-L guard Chuck Simpson said. ``It is kind of demoralizing to score a basket, play defense for 33 or 34 seconds and have them get a big basket.''
UW-L, which trailed 37-32 at the half, rallied to take a 42-41 lead on a 3-point bomb by Simpson. The senior from Detroit Cass Tech was 6-for-10 from 3-point territory, and tied his season high with 23 points.
Melvin Veasley did his part, too, bouncing back from a sub-par first half with 14 of his 18 points in the second half. It was Veasley's free throw which tied the game at 49-49 with 12 minutes, 17 second remaining -- the last time the Eagles would pull even with UW-Eau Claire.
``I feel like I have been in a slump all season,'' said Veasley, who pulled down 10 of UW-L's 35 rebounds. ``I wanted to really assert myself in the second half. Losing to Platteville, Oshkosh and Whitewater, as a senior you want to play as hard as you can and do what it takes to win.''
UW-L played hard, and pulled within two points at 70-68 with 2:52 remaining on two free throws by Ty Cornell. But Fisher answered, hitting a tough 15-footer to put the Blugolds back in command 72-68.
The Eagles had a chance to tie the game at 72, but Veasley missed the second of two free throws, and Blugold freshman Jon Wallenfelsz grabbed the rebound and was fouled by Jay Daly. He hit both free throws to put UW-Eau Claire up by three points, 74-71, with 24 seconds remaining.
After a desperation 3-point attempt by Eric Dudek rimmed short, Kulig iced the game with two free throws. Kulig, a former Independence High School standout, finished with 19 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots.
``I think, at times, we get a little too emotional and our concentration level wanes,'' Simpson said. ``Two or three years ago we would have been down by 30 points at that point in the game. We're still learning how to deal with that.''
Dudek finished with 17 points, giving him 1,002 career points. Dudek is only the ninth player in school history to reach the 1,000-point plateau.