WBB Preview: Stout hosts UW-La Crosse Saturday in WIAC opener

vs. UW-La Crosse: Live Stats | Live Video

THIS WEEK'S GAMES: The Blue Devils (2-5, 0-0 WIAC) will open their WIAC schedule this week when they host UW-La Crosse (3-5, 0-1 WIAC), Saturday, Dec. 6 at 3 p.m.

MARK THOMAS INTERVIEWS: Throughout the season, Jimmie Kaska of Sports Radio 1400 AM will speak with head women's basketball coach Mark Thomas about the season. Listed are each of the interviews throughout the season. This week's interview | Listen to Interviews

WEBCASTS: All UW-Stout home games will be available in a live video stream by Blue Devil Video, with Sam Ripp on the call. WMEQ 880 Radio, with Pete Knutson, Jimmie Kaska or Jake Bostrom, will broadcast and provide a live audio stream of away conference games. 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. Any WIAC Championship Tournament basketball games will be not be video streamed live.

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.

UW-STOUT THIS SEASON: The Blue Devils come into the 2014-15 season with six seniors, the largest group of returning seniors in quite a few years. Jenna Goldsmith is leading the team in scoring with 11.2 points, but she missed two games due to injury. . Kyleigh Hebert is avearging 8.9 points. Katelynne Folkers is leading Stout off the boards, averaging 7.1 caroms per contest. Folkers, along with Brea Boomer, are averaging 8.6 points. Boomer is averaging 4.9 points. Stout is being outscored 71.6-67.7. | Complete 2014-15 Preview | 2014-15 Statistics

STOUT LAST TIME OUT: The Blue Devils won the opening game of the UW-Stout Thanksgiving Turkey Shootout with a 76-43 romp over St. Scholastica, Nov. 29, with five players scoring in double digits led by Kyleigh Hebert's 13 points. Stout rolled out to a 43-22 hafltime lead. The Blue Devils lost to the University of Dubuque, 87-62, in the championship game of the tournament, Nov. 30, when the Spartans took a commanding halftime lead. Brea Boomer scored 12 points to lead Stout and Katelynne Folkers had 12 rebounds. The Blue Devils won the opening game of the UW-Stout Thanksgiving Turkey Shootout with a 76-43 romp over St. Scholastica, Nov. 29. The Blue Devils lost to the University of Dubuque, 87-62, in the championship game of the tournament, Nov. 30. | Story and Box Score

SCOUTING UW-LA CROSSE:The Eagles started off the season with two straight wins at their own tip-off tournament and three of their first four games, but have now lost four in a row. Miller and Atchison lead the Eagles in scoring, with Miller averaging 12.0 points and a team-high 6.9 rebounds. Atchison is averaging 11.5 points. Bishop is averaging 6.3 rebounds and Chapin is averaging 4.3 rebounds. The Eagles have been outscored 65.0-61.9. The Eagles assistant coach, Jessika Smith, is a former Blue Devil basketball player and an All-American track performer for Stout. Info coming | Eagle Statistics

LAST TIME OUT: La Crosse had five players in double figures, but still lost at UW-Platteville, 77-74, in their WIAC opener Wednesday. MaKenzie Miller and Jenna Anderson each scored 16 points. Cameron Chapin added 12 points, Rachel Atchison 11 and Maggi Bishop 10.. | Story and Stats

LAST TIME THEY MET: The teams took advantage of home court advantage, each winning on their home floor. The Eagles took a 59-45 decision last January where Stout fell behind by nine at halftime, only to tie the contest with eight minutes remaining. But the Eagles would go on an 8-1 run to take control of the final minutes. Stout's Katelynn Folkers had a career-high 20 rebounds in the contest. The Eagles' Jenna Anderson led all players with15 points. Stout exacted revenge in the rematch in February, taking an 89-72 win as six Blue Devils scored in double figures with Kyleigh Hebert and Tara Matter tossing in 17 points. The Eagles' Erin Levenhagen led all scorers with 23 points and Mallory Cramer notched a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds. | Game One Story and Stats | Game Two Story and Stats

COMMON OPPONENTS: So far this season, both UW-Stout and UW-La Crosse have played three common opponents - Carroll University, St. Mary's University and the University of Dubuque. Both teams have been defeated by all three teams.

AWARDS AND HONORS: Sarah Schoch was selected to the all-tournament team at the St. Norbert Tip-Off Classic... Kyleigh Hebert and Katelynne Folkers were All-WIAC honorable mention selections in 2013-14.

STOUT LAST SEASON: Virtually out of the playoff picture as the season wore down, UW-Stout (11-5, 7-9 WIAC) put together a four-game winning streak to conclude the regular season and earned the fourth seed in the WIAC tournament. Sami Schoeder, Katelynne Folkers and Kyleigh Hebert earned All-WIAC honorable mention honors. | 2013-14 Statistics

TRADITION: In 10 of the last 15 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 12 of the last 15 years.

TEAM CAPTAINS: Seniors Brea Boomer, Haley Froehlich and Katelynne Folkers, along with junior Kyleigh Hebert, are 2014-15 team captains.

THE COACHES: UW-Stout: Mark Thomas (445-279) is in his 28th 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. UW-La Crosse: Lois Heeren (246-302, overall; 195-199, La Crosse) begins her 16th year as the Eagles' head coach and 22nd overall. She led the Eagles to an at-large bid to the 2011 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Tournament, marking La Crosse's first appearance in the national championships since the 1987-88 season.

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: UW-Stout is a member of the nine-team Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) along with UW-Eau Claire. UW-Oshkosh, UW-La Crosse, UW-Stevens Point, UW- Platteville, UW-River Falls, UW-Superior, and UW-Whitewater. Superior will be leaving the WIAC after this season.

UP NEXT: The Blue Devils will be at UW-Stevens Point, Wednesday, Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. Stout will then be off until they head to the DePauw (Ind) University Tournament, Dec. 28-29.


UW-Stout 2014-15 Season Highs (Updated December 1, 2014)

Points: 17, Katelynne Folkers vs. Hamline, Nov. 25, 2014; Sarah Schoch vs. Carroll University, Nov. 16, 2014; Jenna Goldsmith vs. St. Catherine, Nov. 20, 2014
3-Pointers Made: 5, Sarah Schoch vs. Carroll University, Nov. 16, 2014
Rebounds: 12 vs. University of Dubuque, Nov. 30, 2014
Assists: 3 (7x), Kyleigh Hebert vs. St. Mary's, Nov. 21, 2014; Brea Boomer, Sarah Schoch, Becca Smith & Haley Froehlich vs. St. Catherine, Nov. 20, 2014; Becca Smith vs. Carroll University, Nov. 16, 2014; Katelynne Folkers vs. St. Norbert College, Nov. 15, 2014
Steals: 4 (2x) Brea Boomer & Katelynne Folkers vs. St. Catherine, Nov. 20, 2014

UW-Stout 2014-15 Team Season Highs (Updated December 1, 2014)

Points: 89 vs. Hamline, Nov. 25, 2014
Field Goals Made: 33 vs. Hamline, Nov. 25, 2014
Field Goal Percentage: .443 (27-61) vs. St. Catherine, Nov. 20, 2014
3-Pointers Made: 8 vs. St. Catherine, Nov. 20, 2014
Free Throws Made: 21 vs. St. Mary's, Nov. 21, 2014
Free Throw Percentage: ..917 (11-12) vs. St. Norbert College, Nov. 15, 2014
Rebounds: 52 vs. Hamline, Nov. 25, 2014
Assists: 18 vs. St. Catherine, Nov. 20, 2014
Steals: 15 vs. St. Catherine, Nov. 20, 2014

UW-Stout Collegiate Career Highs (Updated December 1, 2014)

Becca Smith - #2
Points: 11 vs. St. Mary's, Nov. 21, 2014
Rebounds: 4 vs. St. Catherine, Nov. 20, 2014
Assists: 3 (2x) vs. St. Catherine, Nov. 20, 2014; vs. Carroll University, Nov. 16, 2014

Kyleigh Hebert - #4
Points: 22 vs. UW-Superior, Feb. 25, 2014
Rebounds: 9 vs. Hamline, Nov. 25, 2014
Assists: 7 vs. Colorado College, Dec. 31, 2013

Caitlin Coombs - #5
Points: 7 vs. UW-Superior, Feb. 25, 2014
Rebounds: 6 (2x) vs. UW-Superior, Feb. 25, 2014; vs. Dubuque, Nov. 27, 2011
Assists: 1 (4x)

Haley Seifert - #10
Points: 6 vs. University of Dubuque, Nov. 30, 2014
Rebounds: 2 vs. University of Dubuque, Nov. 30, 2014
Assists: 1 vs. St. Catherine, Nov. 20, 2014

Haley Froehlich - #13
Points: 23 vs. Colorado College, Dec. 31, 2013
Rebounds: 8 vs. Hamline, Nov. 25, 2014
Assists: 3 (2x) vs. UW-River Falls, Jan. 23, 2013; vs. UW-Platteville, Feb. 2, 2013

McKayla Brunner - #14
Points: x
Rebounds: 1 (2x) vs. St. Mary's, Nov. 21, 2014; vs. North Central, Nov. 15, 2013
Assists: 1 vs. North Central, Nov. 14, 2013

Brea Boomer - #15
Points: 22 (2x) vs. East Texas Baptist University, Dec. 20, 2012; vs. UW-Stevens Point, Jan. 9, 2013
Rebounds: 13 vs. UW-Platteville, Feb. 4, 2012
Assists: 3 (4x) vs. St. Catherine, Nov. 20, 2014; vs. UW-Platteville, Jan. 11, 2014; vs. St. Scholastica, Dec. 1, 2013; vs. UW-Platteville, Dec. 8, 2012

Sarah Schoch - #23
Points: 17 vs. Carroll University, Nov. 16, 2014
Rebounds: 4 vs. St. Scholastica, Nov. 29, 2014
Assists: 2 vs. St. Catherine, Nov. 20, 2014

Jessica Kreitz - #24
Points: 6 vs. North Central, Nov. 15, 2013
Rebounds: 7 vs. North Central, Nov. 15, 2013
Assists: 1 (3x) vs. Carroll University, Nov. 16, 2014; vs. North Central, Nov. 15, 2013; vs. Northwestern, Nov. 16, 2013

Nicki Alexander - #25
Points: 9 vs. Winona State, Nov. 21, 2013
Rebounds: 7 (2x) vs. Winona State, Nov. 21, 2013; vs. North Central, Nov. 15, 2013
Assists: 2 (3x) vs. St. Scholastica, Dec. 1, 2013; vs. St. Cloud State, Nov. 20, 2012; vs. Martin Luther College, Nov. 25, 2012

Jasmyne Hazelton - #30
Points: 8 vs. Hamline, Nov. 25, 2014
Rebounds: 1 (4x)vs. St. Catherine, Nov. 20, 2014; vs. UW-Superior, Feb. 25, 2014; vs. UW-River Falls, Dec. 11, 2013; vs. St. Cloud State, Nov. 23, 2013
Assists: 2 vs.St. Cloud State, Nov. 23, 2013

Ann Rysavy - #31
Points: x
Rebounds: 4 vs. St. Scholastica, Nov. 29, 2014
Assists: 2 vs. University of Dubuque, Nov. 30, 2014

Anna Brown - #32
Points: 4 vs. St. Scholastica, Nov. 29, 2014
Rebounds: 4 vs. University of Dubuque, Nov. 30, 2014
Assists: 1 vs. University of Dubuque, Nov. 30, 2014

Katelynne Folkers - #34
Points: 16 vs. Hamline, Nov. 17, 2012
Rebounds: 20 vs. UW-La Crosse, Jan. 15, 2014
Assists: 6 vs. UW-Stevens Point, Feb. 22, 2014

Stephanie Kastens - #35
Points: 6 vs. Whitewater, Jan. 19, 2013
Rebounds: 4 vs. UW-Oshkosh, Jan. 18, 2014
Assists: 2 vs. Hamline, Nov. 25, 2014

Jenna Goldsmith - #41
Points:17, vs. St. Catherine, Nov. 20, 2014
Rebounds: 6 (3x) vs. UW-Whitewater, Feb. 1, 2014; vs. UW-Platteville, Jan. 11, 2014; vs. Northwestern, Nov. 16, 2013
Assists: 2 vs. Carroll University, Nov. 16. 2014

Laura Sikora - #43
Points: 1 vs. Carroll University, Nov. 16, 2014
Rebounds: 2 vs. University of Dubuque, Nov. 30, 2014
Assists: x

Katie Nickles - #44
Points: 12 vs. St. Mary's, Nov. 21, 2014
Rebounds: 9 vs. St. Scholastica, Nov. 24, 2012
Assists: 2 (5x)vs. Hamline, Nov. 25, 2014; vs. UW-La Crosse, Feb. 19, 2014; vs. St. Joseph's, Jan. 1, 2014; vs. East Texas Baptist University, Dec. 30, 2012; vs. UW-La Crosse, Feb. 6, 2013

Anna Bunyan - #50
Points: x
Rebounds: 1 vs. St. Scholastica, Nov. 29, 2014
Assists: x