Women's basketball to open season at Wisconsin Lutheran Tournament

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THIS WEEK'S GAMES:  The Blue Devils (0-0, 0-0 WIAC) will get one tune-up game in an exhibition against Winona State University, Tuesday, Nov. 13,  before they open their regular season at Wisconsin Lutheran's Tournament on Friday, Nov. 16 and Saturday, Nov. 17. Stout will face DePauw University on Friday, at 5 p.m. and either play Hamline University or Wisconsin Lutheran the following afternoon.

WEBCASTS:  All UW-Stout home games will be available in a live video stream by Blue Devil Video, with Adam "Big Country" Lehnertz  on the call. WMEQ 880 Radio, with Jason Kenyon, Rob Silvers, Dan Schultz, Jimmie Kaska or Jake Bostrom, will broadcast and provide a live audio stream of away conference games and all Saturday WIAC doubleheaders. Stout will provide Live Stats for all home games. Check the Blue Devil Webcast page or under details of the schedule page to see broadcasts and Live Stats available when Stout is on the road.

CAREER STATS: Be sure to scroll to the bottom of this page to check out the UW-Stout career highs for points, rebounds and assists of each Blue Devil player.

THE BLUE DEVILS: Stout struggled for much of the season last year as they were a very young team, having no seniors on the squad. This year, they have just two seniors and two juniors, but have a much more experienced roster. Seven Blue Devils played in all 25 games last year, and six of them return. The Blue Devils return four of their top five scorers from last year, and get back their top nine rebounders. Whitney Rawdon and Sami Schoeder head up the offense, both of whom have received All-WIAC recognition in the past. Schoeder was an all-conference honorable mention two years ago, and was Stout's leading scorer (9.8 ppg) until an injury ended her 2011-12 season. Rawdon received an honorable mention last year after averaging 9.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, a team leader in the latter category. Joining Rawdon as the senior leaders, Kayla Windt enters her fourth year with the most experience of anyone on the roster. Since joining the team as a freshman, she has played in every Stout contest, and only came off the bench in two. Last year, she led the team from the point guard position, serving up 1.7 assists per contest. Sophomores Katelynne Folkers, Brea Boomer, and Nicki Alexander all bring back a full season of experience from last year. Each played in all 25 games, with Folkers and Boomer starting 16 and 10 games, respectively. Folkers returns 5.9 ppg and 3.6 rpg while Boomer, who started the final ten games of the season, brings back 5.2 ppg and 3.2 rpg. Junior guard Rachel Hanley played 25 games last year, starting eight. She trailed only Windt in assists, dishing out 1.04 assists per game.  |  2011-12 Statistics

LAST TIME OUT:  Stout finished the 2011-12 season with just seven wins, but got one in their final game of the season. Freshmen Shelby Sterba and Katelynne Folkers hit clutch free throws down the stretch as Stout closed the season with a 65-60 win at UW-Oshkosh. Sterba broke a 60-60 tie with 59 seconds remaining in the game by sinking a pair of free throws to give Stout a tenuous lead. Folkers connected on 3-of-4 in the final nine seconds of the game to seal the win. Before the free throw clinic, however, the Blue Devils needed to fight back more than once to keep it a contest. Oshkosh opened by making 10 of its first 13 shots from the field to build a 23-14 lead. Stout rallied and tied the score at 7:09 in the first half when Bethany Reyzer scored a four-point play to knot the score at 26. Stout held a 37-34 halftime lead, then led through much of the second half until the Titans tied the score at 55-55 with 4:50 remaining, then held a lead no bigger than three points until Whitney Rawdon hit a jumper to give Stout a 60-59 lead. The Titans tied the game on a free throw at 1:52, but were denied anymore points the rest of the way. |  Story and Stats

SCOUTING DEPAUW: DePauw finished 27-2 in 2011-12, stringing together 26 wins at one point. They finished 16-0 in their conference, and easily swept through the conference tournament. They handled Westminster (Mo.), 66-64, in the first round of the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championships before losing a close game to Carthage in the second round.  2011-12 Statistics

DEPAUW'S LAST TIME OUT: DePauw's season ended in the second round of the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championships, when they fell, 53-48, to Carthage College. Neither team led by more than five in the closely-contested game that featured three ties and 12 lead changes. DePauw out-rebounded the Lady Reds, 41-19, but shot just 30 percent compared to Carthage's 50 percent. | Story and Stats

LAST TIME THEY MET: The only previous meeting between Stout and DePauw was December 22, 2004, when Stout came away with a 76-71 victory in Las Vegas. DePauw was 7-1 coming into the game and ranked sixth in the nation, while Stout entered the game unranked at 7-4. Current assistant coaches Erin Konsela and Savanah Oeltjen both played in the contest. Konsela started and scored 12 points while Oeltjen scored seven points off the bench. | Box Score

SCOUTING HAMLINE: Hamline loses just one senior, Stephanie Rice, from last year's roster. Kara Poirier, Je'Naya Brown, Steph Pilgrim, and Jordan Sammons all return 25 games of experience from a year ago.  Of those four, three started all 25 games, with Pilgrim being the only exception (17 starts). Sammons will look to build upon her fantastic freshman season, when she led the team in both scoring (14.3 ppg) and rebounding (6.4 rpg). Poirier and Pilgrim will both enter their senior year carrying double digit scoring averages from last year. | 2011-12 Statistics

HAMLINE'S LAST TIME OUT: Hamline ended their season with a 72-67 loss to Macalester College. Steph Pilgrim scored a season-high 25 points including five three-pointers, but it was not enough as the Pipers ended their season with a 7-18 record, 6-16 in the MIAC. | Story and Stats

LAST TIME THEY MET: Stout and Hamline met three times in consecutive years, from 1988-1990. The Blue Devils hold a 3-0 advantage in the series, including an 89-63 mauling in the most recent contest. Stout won each contest by at least 12 points.

SCOUTING WISCONSIN LUTHERAN: Wisconsin-Lutheran College finished last year 24-5, with a sparkling 17-1 record within their conference. After winning the Northern Athletics Conference regular season title, they swept through the conference tournament and entered the NCAA Tournament riding an eight-game win streak. They were, however, upended by Calvin College, 59-47 in the first round. The Warriors lose three of their top four scoring threats from last year, and return just two of their starting five. Shavon Dillon, who averaged 11.9 points off the bench will likely move into a starting role, while Krissy Day will presumably keep her starting spot. |  2011-12 Statistics

WISCONSIN LUTHERAN'S LAST TIME OUT:  Wisconsin Lutheran ended their season in the first round of the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championships, a 59-47 loss to Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich. Senior Kristen Schulz recorded her second double-double of the season, going for 10 points and 13 rebounds. It was not enough, however, to defeat Calvin, who reached the NCAA DIII Quarterfinals last year and enter 2012-13 ranked #1. | Story and Stats

LAST TIME THEY MET: Stout has seen Wisconsin-Lutheran just twice in school history, winning both matchups. The most recent matchup came on November 20, 2004, when the Blue Devils took a 92-62 win. Current assistant coaches Erin Konsela and Savanah Oeltjen played in the game, with Konsela getting the start. Lindsey Erichsen led the scoring attack with 16 points, while Kelsey Duoss grabbed a game-high eight rebounds. | Box Score

LAST YEAR'S SEASON OPENER: When Stout defeated Crown College to open the 2011-12 season, the Blue Devils recorded 28 steals, their most steals since nabbing 34 on Dec. 20, 2000, against Union, NY. Last year, Stout twice recorded 27 steals - against Principia College and St. Scholastica. While records are not kept for turnovers, the 56 turnovers by Crown has to rank high on an infamous list. Stout forced 46 turnovers in a Dec. 29, 2002, game against Elizabethtown College. The last time Stout held a team to 33 points or less was the final game of the 1979-80 when the Blue Devils defeated St. Theresa, 60-33.  In the 2005-06 NCAA playoffs, Stout defeated Concordia-Moorhead, 61-37. The fewest points allowed by a Stout women's team was a 44-15 win over Ashland during the 1971-72 season.

TRADITION: In 10 of the last 13 seasons, Stout has been either the first or second leading scoring team in the WIAC. In the final team standings, Stout has finished no lower in the conference than fourth in 11 of the last 14 years. Last year broke the trend, however, as they finished second to last in scoring and eight out of nine teams in the conference standings with a final league record of 3-13.

JOHNSON FIELDHOUSE: The “cozy confines of Johnson Fieldhouse” has proven to be quite an advantage for the Blue Devils. Since the 2000-01 season, Stout has posted a 117-31 (.791) record at home. In conference games at Johnson Fieldhouse since 2000-01, Stout has a 73-24 (.726) record. Throw in the conference tournament games, and Stout has an 87-24 (.784) overall record against WIAC opponents at home.

THE COACHES: UW-Stout: Mark Thomas (421-245) is in his 26th year as the coach of the Blue Devils. Thomas has led his teams to 10 national playoff berths, nine times in the NCAA. A six-time WIAC coach of the year, the Blue Devils have won five conference titles and four conference tournament championships. His teams have twice been to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament. Thomas is the first WIAC coach to have reached 400 career wins. Thomas also has the most wins of any Stout basketball coach, either men's or women's. Dwain Mintz coached the men's basketball program for 27 years and compiled a 385-280 record. 

THE ROAD TO 400 WINS: Mark Thomas' first collegiate win came the second game of his first season when his Blue Devils, which had won only two games over the previous two years, defeated Mt. Senario, 73-44, in November, 1987. The wins came more often after that. Thomas got his 50th win, Feb. 28, 1991, 71-60, over Cardinal Stritch. The 100th win came Jan. 10, 1994, an 80-59 win over UM-Morris. No. 200 came at UW-River Falls, a 78-74 victory on Jan. 5, 2000. Thomas' 300th win came in overtime, a 76-68 decision over UW-Stevens Point, Jan. 29, 2005. Thomas' 400th win came at UW-Stevens Point, a 90-76 decision, Feb. 3, 2010.

CONFERENCES: Stout is a member of the nine-team Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) along with UW-Eau Claire, UW-La Crosse, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Platteville, UW-River Falls, UW-Stevens Point, UW-Superior and UW-Whitewater. Stout has won conference titles in 1997, 2002, 2005, 2006 and 2007. The Blue Devils finished tied for third during the 2009-10 season. Stout has advanced to the NCAA Division III tournament nine times. DePauw is a member of the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC). Hamline is a member of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC). Wisconsin Lutheran is a member of the Northern Athletics Conference (NAC).

WEBCASTS: WMEQ 880 AM radio will broadcast all Saturday conference doubleheaders and conference away games during the week. Blue Devil Video will provide a live video stream for the majority of home games.  Check out the Webcast link on the the Blue Devil athletic home page for the most up to date schedule. UW-Stout will provide Live Stats for all home games.

UP NEXT: The Blue Devils will host St. Cloud State University for their home opener, Tuesday, Nov. 20 at Johnson Fieldhouse.

UW-Stout Collegiate Career Highs (updated Feb. 20, 2012)

Ashley Deschampe - #2

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• Rebounds:
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Caitlin Coombs - #5

• Points: 4 vs. St. Scholastica, Nov. 26, 2011
• Rebounds: 6 vs. Dubuque, Nov. 27, 2011
• Assists: 1 (3x)

Rachel Hanley - #10

• Points: 11 vs. UW-Superior, Dec. 7, 2011
• Rebounds: 4 vs. UW-Whitewater, Dec. 3, 2011
• Assists: 3 (2x) vs. Wartburg College, Nov. 18, 2011; vs. Northwestern College, Nov. 23, 2010

Whitney Rawdon - #11

• Points: 22 vs. Dubuque, Nov. 27, 2011
• Rebounds: 11 vs. Dubuque, Nov. 27, 2011
• Assists: 4 (2x) vs UW-Eau Claire, Feb. 19, 2011; vs. Principia College, Dec. 29, 2010

Haley Froehlich - #13

• Points: 4 (2x) vs. UW-LaCrosse, Jan. 18, 2012; vs. UW-Superior, Dec. 7, 2011
• Rebounds: 7 vs. UW-La Crosse, Jan. 18, 2012
• Assists: 2 vs. UW-La Crosse, Feb. 8, 2012

Emily Blasius - #14

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Brea Boomer - #15

• Points: 14 (2x) vs. UW-Platteville, Feb. 4, 2012; vs. MCLA, Dec. 31, 2011
• Rebounds: 13 vs. UW-Platteville, Feb. 4, 2012
• Assists: 2 (2x) vs. UW-La Crosse, Feb. 8, 2012; vs. UW-Platteville, Feb. 4, 2012

Maygan Mitchell - #22

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Kayla Windt - #23

• Points: 17 vs. UW-La Crosse, Dec. 8, 2010
• Rebounds: 8 vs. Dubuque, Nov. 27, 2011
• Assists: 4 (3x) vs. UW-Platteville, Dec. 10, 2011; vs. Edgewood College, Nov. 20, 2010; vs. UW-La Crosse, Jan. 27, 2010

Stephanie Pappas - #24

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Nikki Alexander - #25

• Points: 6 (2x) vs. UW-Platteville, Dec. 10, 2011; vs. St.Scholastica, Nov. 26, 2011
• Rebounds: 5 vs. St. Scholastica, Nov. 26, 2011
• Assists: 1

Alex Fosse - #31

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Sami Schoeder - #32

• Points: 31 vs. UW-Platteville, Jan. 8, 2011
• Rebounds: 9 vs. UW-Stevens Point, Dec. 1, 2010
• Assists: 3 (5x) vs. UW-Whitewater, Dec. 3, 2011; vs. UW-Superior, Feb. 9, 2011; vs. Wartburg College, Dec. 30, 2010; vs. Principia College, Dec. 29, 2010; vs. Edgewood College, Nov. 20, 2010

Shelby Sterba - #33

• Points: 11 vs. UW-Superior, Dec. 7, 2011
• Rebounds: 6 (2x) vs. UW-Stevens Point, Jan. 11, 2012; vs. Lakeland College, Nov. 19, 2011
• Assists: 1 (2x)

Katelynne Folkers - #34

• Points: 12 vs, MCLA, Dec. 31, 2011
• Rebounds: 8 vs. Lakeland College, Nov. 19, 2011
• Assists: 4 vs. Crown College, Nov. 15, 2011

Stephanie Kastens - #35

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Alexa Belanger - #42

• Points: 6 vs. Crown College, Nov. 15, 2011
• Rebounds: 2 vs. UW-Whitewater, Dec. 3, 2011
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Katie Nickles - #44

• Points: 5 vs. Crown College, Nov. 15, 2011
• Rebounds: 5 vs. St. Scholastica, Nov. 26, 2011
• Assists: 1 (2x)