UW-La Crosse 83, UW-Stout 69
LA CROSSE (January 10, 2009) - UW-La Crosse took the lead seven minutes into the game and never gave it up as the Eagles ran past UW-Stout, 83-69, Saturday at Mitchell Hall.
The Eagles (8-6, 2-3) took a 41-25 lead into halftime over the Blue Devils (5-8, 0-5) and just kept building on the lead, taking as much as a 31 point lead midway through the second. To Stout's credit, they did pull to within 15 points with five minutes left in the game when Michael Fant (Jr, Weston) stepped outside to hit a 3-pointer.
Stout's leading scorer, Jerrel Enerson-Matthews (Jr, Anoka, Minn), was virtually shut down, finishing the afternoon with a season-low four points.
Trevor Stratton was the story of the game for the Eagles, as hed led four Eagles in double digits with 28 points. Tony Mane and Andy Merklein each tossed in 12 points, while Derek Wilcox added 11.
For the Blue Devils, Jerrod Buchholtz (So, Durand) finished with 22 points, hitting 6-of-7 from 3-point range. Eric Hostetter (So, Stillwater, Minn) scored 15, 12 in the first half. Fant finished with a career-best seven points.
As a team, Stout hit 13-of-25 from 3-point range. Hostetter was 4-of-8.
Stout will be at UW-Stevens Point, Wednesday, Jan. 14, then will host UW-Whitewater, Saturday, Jan. 17 at 1 p.m.
