The UW-La Crosse men's basketball team picked up its first win of the season on Saturday, beating St. Olaf College of Minnesota 80-74 at the UW-Superior NBC Tip-Off Classic in Superior.
The game was played at Mertz Mortorelli Gymnasium. UWL improved to 1-1 on the season, while St. Olaf fell to 0-2.
Sam Grieger led the Eagles with 30 points and eight assists. Jackson Hayes added 26 points and six rebounds, and Jack Crowley scored 11 points with five rebounds. The three combined for 67 of UWL's points.
St. Olaf led by as many as eight points in the first half before UWL closed the half on a 13-3 run to lead 41-39. The Oles later tied the game at 69-69 in the second half, but three straight layups by Grieger put UWL back in front, and the Eagles held on in the final minutes.
UWL is ranked 18th in the D3hoops.com preseason Top 25. The win gave the Eagles a 2-0 lead in the all-time series with St. Olaf, in the teams' first meeting since the 1961-62 season.
UWL returns to action Friday, Nov. 13, against Augsburg University at 7:30 p.m. in the Wartburg College Buzz Levick Tournament in Iowa.
