MBB Preview: Blue Devil seek to extend streak at UW-River Falls

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THIS WEEK'S GAMES: The Blue Devils (7-1, 0-0 WIAC) will play at UW-River Falls (3-5, 0-2 WIAC), Wednesday, Dec. 11 at 7 p.m., seeking to extend their winning streak to eight games before taking a Christmas break from competition.

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 high for points, rebounds, and assists of each Blue Devil player.

BLUE DEVILS BY THE NUMBERS
8	starting lineups in eight games for Stout
2	Blue Devils who have started all eight games (Aaron Jenny and Jimmy Whitehead)
7	Blue Devils who have scored 10+ points in a game     this season
18	second half points for Alex Oman vs. Whitewater

THE BLUE DEVILS (7-1, 2-0 WIAC): After dropping the season opener to Mount Mercy, an 84-83 loss in overtime, the Blue Devils have reeled off seven straight victories.  Last week, the Blue Devils opened the WIAC season on a positive note, with wins over UW-Superior and UW-Whitewater. Leading the way for the Blue Devils are captains Jimmy Whitehead (Sr, La Crosse) and Aaron Jenny (Sr, Spicer, Minn.). Whitehead leads the team in scoring at 19.4 ppg while pulling down 5.1 rpg. Jenny is tops on the team in rebounding, pulling down 6.0 boards per game while scoring at a 13.1 ppg clip on .514 (37-72) shooting. Jenny has scored in double figures in six games, including a season high 24 against Whitehead has been able to come up big when it matters most all season for Stout, averaging 11.3 points in the second half of games while shooting a scorching .646 (33-51). He has scored in double figures in the second half in seven of eight games to start the season. Whitehead has also topped the 20 points mark four times already this season. Senior Alex Oman (Lake Elmo, Minn.) ranks second on the team in scoring, with 15.0 ppg. He also leads the Blue Devils in assists, with 18 in seven games played. Adam Wadzinski (Sr, Verona) has started four straight games for Stout and provided a long-range scoring threat, hitting 8-21 three-point attempts. Brett Ahsenmacher (Fr, Annandale, Minn.) has hit 47% (7-15) of his three point attempts off the bench. Josh Kosloske (Sr, Oakfield) has been steady down low, averaging 5.1 ppg and grabbing 5.8 rpg, good for second on team. Debonair Townsend (Sr, Milwaukee), Tim Butina (Sr, Woodbury, Minn.), and Jay Higgins (Sr, Maple Grove, Minn.) have all seen significant time in the post for the Blue Devils. Each is averaging over 10 minutes per game and are averaging at least two rebounds per contest, led by Butina's 3.0 rpg. Townsend leads the team with five blocks. Guard Hank Kujak (So, Blair) has seen an increase in minutes over the last three games, averaging 17.7 mpg, up from his season average of 12.4. Over that span, he has contributed 6.7 ppg and 2.7 rpg, while hitting 3-of-4 three point attempts. As a team, Stout is outscoring their opponents by 8.5 points per contest (72.8-64.2).  Stout also holds an edge when it comes to rebounding, pulling down 39.7 boards per game while opponents are grabbing just 28.9. |  2013-14 Statistics

STOUT'S LAST TIME OUT: The Blue Devils ran their winning streak to seven games with a pair of nearly identical score conference wins to open league play, defeating UW-Superior 79-68 Dec. 5 and UW-Whitewater 74-69 Dec. 7. After inclement weather pushed the match-up back a day, Stout defeated UW-Superior, 79-68 to open the WIAC season. The Blue Devils trailed for the first 2:53 of the game before taking over the lead. From there, they never looked back, leading for the rest of the game. Aaron Jenny led the Blue Devils with a career-high 24 points while Jimmy Whitehead added 23. | Story and Stats |  The Blue Devils improved to 2-0 in conference with a 74-69 victory over fourth-ranked UW-Whitewater on Saturday, Dec. 7. Alex Oman led four Blue Devils in double figures with a game-high 20 points on7-12 shooting, including 2-5 from downtown. Whitehead had 19 for Stout and Josh Kosloske and Jenny each pitched in 12. | Story and Stats |

RIVER FALLS LAST TIME OUT: The Falcons dropped to 0-2 in the WIAC to open conference play, losing 66-48 to UW-Platteville. After trailing by only four at the half, a 28-9 run by the Pioneers put the game out of reach for River Falls. Senior forward Ollie White led all players with 18 points, going 6-11 from the field and 5-6 from the line for the Falcons. After going 3-5 from beyond the arc to start the game, River Falls went cold, missing their next nine attempts to finish just 3-14 from downtown. Grant Erickson had eight points and seven rebounds for the Falcons.  | Story and Stats

SCOUTING UW-RIVER FALLS (3-5, 0-2 WIAC) : After winning both of their games at the Thanksgiving Turkey Shootout, River Falls has lost two in a row to open WIAC play. The Falcons have leaned heavily on senior Ollie White, who leads the team in scoring and rebounding with 15.5 ppg and 5.4 rpg. White is shooting .506 from the field and .412 from beyond the arc. As a team, River Falls relies a lot on the three-point shot, averaging 19 attempts per contest. Four players have attempted at least 20 three pointers, led by Ben Gresmer who has made 14 of 26 attempts. Gresmer is also second on the team in scoring with 10.0 points per contest. Shifty guard Grant Erickson is tops on the team in assists with 31, an average of 3.88 per game, while turning the ball only five times all year. Erickson has also been a consistent scoring threat, with 7.4 points per game. As a team, the Falcons have been outscored 550-530 (66.2-68.8 ppg) and outrebounded 246-284 (30.8-35.5 rpg) on the season. River Falls is shooting .430 (180-419) from the field and .368 (56-152) from three-point range. 

LAST TIME THEY MET: Both teams participated in the Thanksgiving Turkey Shootout hosted by Stout, but did not play each other. In contests againts Wartburg College and Ashford University (Iowa), both Stout and River Falls came away with records of 2-0. Last season, the teams met twice, with the Blue Devils prevailing both times. In the first match-up, a 62-52 Stout victory at Johnson Fieldhouse, the Blue Devils were able to pull away in the second half after going into the break up only 36-34. An 8-0 run early in the second gave Stout the lead for good and they were able to hold on for the victory. Story and Stats | The second meeting between the two teams proved to be much closer, as the Blue Devils held on for a 77-75 victory at River Falls. Chris Hortman and Alex Oman combined for 41 of Stout's points and Erik Olson had eight assists. 

AWARDS AND HONORS: Alex Oman was selected as the WIAC player of the week, Dec. 10...Jimmy Whitehead was the WIAC and the UW-Stout Northwestern Mutual player of the week, Dec. 3.

TEAM CAPTAINS:  Blue Devil team captains for the 2013-14 season are Aaron Jenny and Jimmy Whitehead.

THE COACHES:  UW-Stout:  Eddie Andrist (169-159 at Stout, 423-354 overall) is in his 14th year as the coach of the Blue Devils, and his 24th overall in the collegiate ranks.  Andrist led the Blue Devils to their first NCAA Division III appearance five seasons ago when Stout advanced to the second round. Andrist coached at Mount Senario for 11 seasons and won three national championships. Andrist spent two stints coaching international basketball, working with the country of Qatar. |
UW-River Falls: Jeff Berkhof (90-101) is in his eighth season as head coach of the Falcons. Before taking over head coaching duties, Berkhof was an assistant coach for 12 season while also holding the position of women's golf coach from 2002-06. In 2010-11 and 2011-12, Berkhof led River Falls to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, going 20-8 (12-4 WIAC) both years. Berkhof was named WIAC Coach of the Year in 2010-11. 

CONFERENCES: Stout is a member of the nine team Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) along with UW-La Crosse, UW-Eau Claire, UW-Stevens Point, UW-Superior, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Platteville, UW-Whitewter and UW-River Falls.

UP NEXT: Stout will be at the Land of Magic Classic in Daytona Beach, Fla., Dec. 28-30. The Blue Devils will meet Millikin University, Saturday, Dec. 28 and SUNY-Plattsburgh, Monday, Dec. 30.

UW-Stout 2013-14 Season Highs (Updated Dec. 10, 2013)

Points: 26, Jimmy Whitehead vs. Wartburg College, Dec. 1, 2013
3-Pointers Made: 3, Aaron Jenny vs. UW-Superior, Dec. 5, 2013; Alex Oman vs. Ashford, Nov. 30, 2013; Jimmy Whitehead vs. Luther, Nov. 25, 2013; Brett Ahsenmacher vs.Luther, Nov. 25, 2013.
Rebounds: 10, Aaron Jenny vs. Mount Mercy, Nov. 15, 2013
Assists: 5, Jay Higgins vs. Mount Mercy, Nov. 15, 2013
Steals: 5, Aaron Jenny vs. UW-Superior, Dec. 5, 2013


UW-Stout Career Bests (updated Dec. 10, 2013)

Phil Freeman - #4
Points: 12 vs. Mount Mercy, Nov. 15, 2013
Rebounds: 4 vs. Crown College, Nov. 16, 2013
Assists: 1 (2x) vs. UW-Superior, Dec. 5, 2013; vs. Crown College, Nov. 16, 2013

Aaron Jenny - #5
Points: 24 vs. UW-Superior, Dec. 5, 2013
Rebounds: 12 vs. Crown College, Nov. 16, 2013
Assists: 4 (3x) vs. UW-Superior, Dec. 5, 2013;  vs. UW-Oshkosh, Jan. 14, 2012; vs. UW-Platteville, Dec. 10, 2011

AJ Dubek - #10
Points: 4 vs. Bethel, Nov. 19, 2013
Rebounds: 2 vs. Bethel, Nov. 19, 2013
Assists: 1 vs. Concordia Wisconsin, Dec. 30, 2012

Jarvis Ragland - #11
Points: 21 vs. Macalester, Nov. 18, 2011
Rebounds: 9 (2x) vs. Mary Hardin-Baylor, Dec. 29, 2011; vs. Whitewater, Jan. 19, 2013
Assists: 3 (2x) vs. UW-Superior, Dec. 7, 2011; vs. UW-Oshkosh, Jan. 12, 2013

Hank Kujak - #12
Points: 12 vs. Wartburg College, Dec. 1, 2013
Rebounds: 5 (2x) vs. Stevens Point, Feb. 15, 2012; vs Wartburg College, Dec. 1, 2013
Assists: 3 vs. Eau Claire, Feb. 11, 2012

Brett Ahsenmacher - #13
Points: 14 vs. Luther College, Nov. 25, 2013
Rebounds: 2 vs. Luther College, Nov. 25,, 2013
Assists: 1 vs. Mount Mercy, Nov. 15, 2013

Alex Oman - #14
Points: 28 (2x) vs. UW-Oshkosh, Feb. 18, 2012; vs. UW-Superior, Feb. 1, 2012
Rebounds: 10 vs. Mary Hardin-Baylor, Dec. 29, 2011
Assists: 6 vs. Northland, Nov. 24, 2012

Josh Watton - #15
Points: x
Rebounds: 1 vs. Bethel, Nov. 19, 2013
Assists: x

Michael Tesch - #21
Points: 2 vs. Bethel, Nov. 19, 2013
Rebounds: 1 vs. Bethel, Nov. 19, 2013
Assists: 1 vs. Bethel, Nov. 19, 2013

Jimmy Whitehead - #24
Points: 26 vs. Wartburg College, Dec. 1, 2013
Rebounds: 8 vs. Crown, Nov. 16, 2013
Assists: 4 vs. Mount Mercy, Nov. 15, 2013

Reggie Kujak - #31
Points: 2 vs. Ashford University, Jan. 26, 2013
Rebounds: 2 vs. UW-Stevens Point, Jan. 9, 2013
Assists:

Jacob Nordstrom - #32
Points: 2 vs. Bethel, Nov. 19, 2013
Rebounds: 1 vs. Bethel, Nov. 19, 2013
Assists: x

Jay Higgins - #33
Points: 10 vs. Winona State, Nov. 29, 2011
Rebounds: 13 vs. Concordia-Texas, Dec. 30, 2011
Assists: 5 vs. Mount Mercy, Nov. 15, 2013

Josh Kosloske - #34
Points: 16 vs. St. Scholastica, Nov. 16, 2012
Rebounds: 15 vs. UW-La Crosse, Jan. 18, 2012
Assists: 2 (3x) vs UW-Oshkosh, Jan. 14, 2012; vs. UW-Superior, Dec. 7, 2011; vs. Bethel, Nov. 19, 2013

Adam Wadzinski - #35
Points: 8 vs. Wartburg, Dec. 1, 2013
Rebounds: 5 (4x) vs. UW-Oshkosh, Jan. 14, 2012; vs. Loras College, Dec. 29, 2012; vs. Eau Claire, Jan. 3, 2013; vs. Wartburg, Dec. 1, 2013
Assists: 4 vs. Ashford, Nov. 30, 2013

Braxtyn Meyer - #42
Points: 1 vs. Bethel University, Nov. 19, 2013
Rebounds: 2 vs. Bethel University, Nov. 18, 2013
Assists: x

Debonair Townsend - #44
Points: 9 vs. Wartburg, Dec. 1, 2013
Rebounds: 9 vs. La Crosse, Dec. 8, 2010
Assists: 1 (4x) vs. UW-Superior, DEc. 5, 2013; vs. La Crosse, Dec. 9, 2010; vs. Viterbo, Dec 18, 2010; vs. Superior, Feb. 9, 2011

Tim Butina - #45
Points: 13 vs. UW-Whitewater, Jan. 21, 2012
Rebounds: 13 vs. Northland, Nov. 24, 2012
Assists: 2 (4x) vs. Robert Morris, Nov. 27, 2011; vs. Northland College, Nov. 26, 2011; vs. Winona State, Nov. 16, 2009; vs. Waldorf, Nov. 20, 2009

The Last Time...(updated Dec. 10, 2013)

A Stout Individual...
Scored 30+ points:  34, Jerrod Buchholtz vs. UW-River Falls (1/5/2011)
Scored 25-29 points:  26, Jimmy Whitehead vs. Wartburg College (12/1/2013)
Recorded 15+ rebounds:  15, Josh Kosloske vs UW-La Crosse (1/18/12)
Recorded 10+ assists:  11, Erik Olson vs. UW-Stevens Point (2/13/13)
Recorded 6+ steals:  8, by Jerrel Enerson-Matthews vs. Bethany Lutheran (11/21/08)

A Stout Team...
Had five players score in double digits:  vs. Luther College, Nov. 25, 2013 - Jimmy Whitehead (24), Aaron Jenny (19), Brett Ahsenmacher (14), Alex Oman (11), Josh Kosloske (11).
Had four players score in double digits:  vs. UW-Whitewater, Dec. 7, 2013 - Alex Oman (20), Jimmy Whitehead (19), Josh Kosloske (12), Aaron Jenny (12).
Scored 105+ points:  109, vs. Crown College (2/15/11)
Scored 100-104 points:  102 vs. Silver Lake College (2/17/2010)
Recorded 60+ rebounds:  64, vs. Concordia-Texas (12/11/2011)
Recorded 55-59 rebounds:  56 vs. Northland College (11/24/12)
Recorded 25+ assists:  25, vs. Silver Lake College (2/17/2010)
Won 10 or more games in a row:  10, 2005-06 season
Lost 5 or more games in a row:  7, 2011-12 season