Box Score UW-Stout 71, Marian University 64
FOND DU LAC (December 15, 2012) - UW-Stout did not have a lead until less than six minutes remained in the game, but they held that lead for good, defeating Marian University, 71-64, Saturday afternoon at Sadoff Gymnasium.
In a first half dominated by Marian (3-5), the Blue Devils (6-5) fell into an early hole. Two Stout turnovers combined with two Marian three-pointers gave the Sabres an immediate 6-0 lead. Seven of Marian's first eight shots found the bottom of the net as they built a 10-point lead, seven minutes into the game.
Shelby Sterba (So, Tony) hit a bucket to cut the lead to seven, but Marian hit their next three shots, all three-pointers, to stretch their lead to 16 points, their largest margin of the night. Over the next ten minutes, the Blue Devils chipped away at the lead, and were able to work their deficit down to a more manageable seven points after scoring the last four points of the half.
Four different Blue Devils hit buckets in the first two minutes of the second half, and just like that, Stout was within three points of the lead. Marian went on another run, however, a 7-0 spurt culminating with a Rissa Cerveny three-pointer to give her team a 50-40 lead. Then the teams experienced deja vu, as Stout whittled their deficit back to three before Marian answered with a 7-0 run to go back up by 10.
It was then, midway through the second half, that Stout really got things rolling. An 18-0 run turned their 10-point deficit into an eight point lead, and they ran out of the gym with the victory. Marian missed 12 shots in that nine-minute span and
Katelynne Folkers (So, Fall Creek) hit a pair of three-pointers, including the one that gave Stout the lead.
There were no ties in the game and just the single lead change. Marian shot 56 percent from three in the first half, but when their shooter's touch escaped them, so did the game itself.
Whitney Rawdon (Sr, Eau Claire) led all players in scoring and recorded a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. It is her fifth game in the past six where she has scored at least 16 points.
Brea Boomer (So, Grand Portage, Minn.) added 16 points and eight boards. Rissa Cerveny and Ashley Backes both scored 17 points for the Sabres.
Stout travels to Austin, Texas after Christmas for their winter break trip. They will play Concordia University-Texas on Saturday, Dec. 29 and play East Texas Baptist University the following afternoon.
