MBB Preview: Blue Devils return home to host Eagles Wednesday

THIS WEEK'S GAMES: The Blue Devils (3-17, 0-11 WIAC) return to Johnson Fieldhouse for one game this week when they will take on UW-La Crosse (8-12, 3-8 WIAC), Wednesday, Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. The Blue Devils have the conference bye Saturday, Feb. 7.

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, Jay Fahl or Jake Bostrom, will broadcast and provide a live audio stream of away conference games and a select number of home games. Stout will provide Live Stats for all home games. Check the Blue Devil Webcast page or on 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.

A LOOK AT THE BLUE DEVILS : Jarvis Ragland leads both the Blue Devils and the WIAC in scoring and is second in the league in rebounding. Ragland is averaging a healthy 18.6 points per contest and 6.9 rebounds per outing. Ragland is shooting at a 50.6 percent mark (118-233). Ragland has scored in double figures in all but one game he has played this season, with a career-high of 26 points against Northwestern, Dec. 20, and a season-low of six points, that coming against UW-Platteville Jan. 24.  Ragland has been the team's leading scorer in 13 games this season, and has been the team's leading rebounder 10 times. Ragland 10 times this season has scored 20 points or more and four times has pulled down 10 or more rebounds, giving him the team's only double-doubles of the season, and his only career double-doubles. Ragland ranks first in scoring in the WIAC, second in rebounding, 12th in field goal percentage, and 10th in minutes played (31.00) . Ragland has had the team's only double-doubles of the season, tossing in 25 points and pulling down 15 rebounds against Bethany Lutheran, 18 points and 10 rebounds against UW-Whitewater, 21 points and 11 rebounds against UW-Oshkosh the first time around and 21 points and 10 rebounds against the Titans in the second meeting. .Ragland also has 28 assists, third on the team.

Brett Ahsenmacher scored a career-best 22 points against John Carroll University at the St. Norbert Tournament and is currently averaging 9.6 points. Ahsenmacher is second on the team in assists with 29...Freshman John Keefe, who had a 30 point outburst in early December, is averaging 6.6 points and leads the team in assists with 33...Since the calendar has turned, freshman Jalen Patterson has picked up his game, and is the team's second leading scorer in games in the month of January, averaging 8.9 points over those nine games, only trailing Ragland, who is averaging 17.1 points during that stretch.  On the season, Patterson is averaging 7.1 points and his eight blocked shots ranks eighth in the WIAC. Patterson has seen his minutes increase. On the season, he is averaging 19.4 minutes per game, but over the last nine games is averaging 24.7 minutes.

Freshman guard Sam Ortmann has dished off 24 assists. Ortmann, John Lahti and Isaac Elliott are the only Blue Devils to have played in all 20 games this season. Stout has had 10 players start at least one game this season. Stout's team scoring average of 67.7 is fifth best in the league, but their points allowed, 77.2, is ranked ninth.

KUJAKS OUT: It appears as if the Kujak brothers have been lost for the season. Reggie Kujak went down with a wrist injury against UW-Eau Claire and Hank Kujak went down with a leg injury against UW-Oshkosh. Hank set a career-best in points scored, tallying 17 against UW-Whitewater, Jan. 10 and finished the season with 26 assists in 13 games. Reggie had been coming along as a force in the paint, averaging 4.7 rebounds per game and had 14 blocked shots, which if he had played in the 75 percent minimum of games required to be listed in the WIAC stats list would rank him third.

STOUT'S LAST TIME OUT:  The Blue Devils are still looking for that elusive first conference win after dropping a 69-64 decision at UW-Eau Claire, Jan. 28, and a 94-72 contest at UW-Oshkosh, Jan. 31. Stout held the Blugolds' leading scorer to more than 10 points under his season average and had four players in double digits, but still could not get past Eau Claire Oshkosh ran off to a big first half lead and even though the Blue Devils outscored the Titans in the second half, they could not catch them. Jarvis Ragland scored 21 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to lead Stout. 


SCOUTING UW-LA CROSSE:  Cale Zuiker is among the leaders in the WIAC in both scoring and rebounding, ranking seventh in both categories, averaging 14.4 points and 6.0 rebounds per contest.Skylar Cameron is averaging 10.2 points.  The Eagles are the lowest scoring team in the WIAC, averaging 61.8 points, but are among the stingiest, giving up 62.9 points to rank fourth. La Crosse is looking to break a two-game losing skid after falling to conference powerhouse UW-Stevens Point and UW-Whitewater. The Eagles went 2-6 in the month of January, with their lone wins coming over UW-Superior and UW-River falls.

THE EAGLES LAST TIME OUT:   UW-La Crosse came within seconds of upending top-ranked UW-Whitewater, but fell 68-67 in the final seconds Saturday night in Kachel Gymnasium. The Eagles led by as many as eight points in the first half, only to see Whitewater come back and take a 58-50 lead with eight minutes left in the game. The Eagles answered back to tie the game, only to see the Warkhawks take a six point lead with three minutes remaining. La Crosse went on a 7-0 run to lead 67-66 with 20 seconds remaining. The Warhawks' Quardel Young made a jumper with nine second remaining and the Eagles missed their last second shot.

LAST TIME STOUT AND LA CROSSE MET:   UW-La Crosse took a five point lead and run it into a 21 point halftime lead and went on to defeat UW-Stout, 72-47, at Mitchell Hall December 6. The Eagles led 22-18 with seven minutes left in the half, then went on a 22-5 run to lead 44-23 at halftime and went on to hold the Blue Devils to a season low.


CLIMBING THE LADDER: Jarvis Ragland has been climbing the UW-Stout career scoring list throughout the season. He currently has 848 career points and is 41st on the all-time career list, recently passing Harlan Hesslemann (1940-43, 46-47, 829 pts), who came back to Stout after serving in World War II to complete is degree and wrap up his athletic career, and Virgil Dortch (1972-76, 837 pts), who played on Stout's last conference championship team. Troy Hamilton (1987-91, 851 pts) is 40th.  Ragland currently has 335 points this season, moving onto the single season list and recently moved into the top 45 of the all-time UW-Stout leading rebounders. Ragland currently has 310 career rebounds.

AWARDS AND HONORS: Brett Ahsenmacher was selected as the UW-Stout Northwestern Mutual athlete of the week, Jan. 5, after his performance at the St. Norbert Tournament...Brett Ahsenmacher was selected to the all-tournament team at the Nicolet National Bank Holiday Tournament hosted by St. Norbert College, Dec. 29-30...Jarvis Ragland was selected as the UW-Stout Northwestern Mutual athlete of the week, Dec. 1 and as the WIAC Athlete of the Week Dec. 2 after averaging 22.5 points during the UW-Stout Thanksgiving Turkey Shootout.

TEAM CAPTAINS: Blue Devil team captain for the 2014-15 season is Brett Ahsenmacher.

THE COACHES: UW-Stout: Eddie Andrist (186-194 at Stout, 436-385 overall) is in his 15th year as the coach of the Blue Devils, and his 26th 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-La Crosse:  Ken Koebl (168-140) is in his 12th season as the head of the Eagles. Koelbl has led UW-L to seven overall winning seasons in the last nine years.  The Eagles finished 17-9 overall and 10-6 in the WIAC in 2012-13.   UW-L went 17-10 overall and 8-8 in the conference in 2011-12, advancing to the league's tournament semifinals for the first time since 2007.

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-Whitewater and UW-River Falls. Superior will leave the conference after the 2014-15 season.

UP NEXT: The Blue Devils will host UW-River Falls, Wednesday, Feb. 11 at 7 p.m., then will be at UW-Stevens Point, Saturday, Feb. 14 at 7 p.m..

UW-Stout 2014-15 Individual Season Highs (Updated January 31, 2015)

Points: 30, John Keefe vs. Bethany Lutheran, Dec. 3, 2014
3-Pointers Made: 5, John Keefe vs. Bethany Lutheran, Dec. 3, 2014
Rebounds: 15, Jarvis Ragland vs. Bethany Lutheran, Dec. 3, 2014
Assists: 7, Hank Kujak vs. Wartburg College, Nov. 29, 2014
Steals: 3, (8x) Jalen Patterson vs. St. Scholastica, Dec. 30, 2014; John Lahti vs. John Carroll, Dec. 29, 2014; John Keefe vs. UW-Stevens Point, Dec. 10, 2014; Hank Kujak vs. UW-La Crosse, Dec. 6, 2014; Hank Kujak vs. Bethany Lutheran, Dec. 3, 2014; John Keefe vs. Viterbo University, Nov. 19, 2014; Brett Ahsenmacher vs. Ripon College, Nov. 15, 2014; D'Marcco Patrick vs. Coe College, Nov. 16, 2014

UW-Stout 2014-15 Team Season Highs (Updated January 31, 2015)

Points: 90 vs. Bethany Lutheran, Dec. 3, 2014
Field Goals Made: 35 vs. Bethany Lutheran, Dec. 3, 2014
Field Goal Percentage: .547 (35-64) vs. Bethany Lutheran, Dec. 3, 2014
3-Pointers Made: 12 vs. Ripon College, Nov. 15, 2014
Free Throws Made: 28 vs. Coe College, Nov. 16, 2014
Free Throw Percentage: .800 (16-20) vs. Cardinal Stritch, Nov. 30, 2014
Rebounds: 46 vs. John Carroll University, Dec. 29, 2014
Assists: 16 (2x) vs. Bethany Lutheran, Dec. 3, 2014; vs. Wartburg College, Nov. 29, 2014
Steals: 11 vs. Coe College, Nov. 16, 2014


UW-Stout Career Bests (updated January 31, 2015)

Jarvis Ragland - #3
Points: 26 vs. Northwestern, Dec. 20, 2014
Rebounds: 15 vs. Bethany Lutheran, Dec. 3, 2014
Assists: 4 vs. Ripon College, Nov. 15, 2014

John Keefe - #4
Points: 30 vs. Bethany Lutheran, Dec. 3, 2014
Rebounds: 6 vs. John Carroll University, Dec. 29, 2014
Assists: 5 vs. St. Scholastica, Dec. 30, 2014

Mac Oreskovic - #5
Points: 6 (2x) vs. UW-Eau Claire, Jan. 7, 2015; vs. John Carroll University, Dec. 29, 2014
Rebounds: 2 (3x) vs. UW-Platteville, Jan. 3, 2015; vs. Cardinal Stritch, Nov. 30, 2014; vs. Viterbo University, Nov. 19, 2014:
Assists: 2 vs. UW-River Falls, Jan. 21, 2015

D'Marcco Patrick - #10
Points: 15 vs. Coe College, Nov. 16, 2014
Rebounds: 4 (2x) vs. UW-Eau Claire, Jan. 28, 2015; vs. UW-Oshkosh, Jan. 14, 2015
Assists: 3 (4x) vs. UW-Platteville, Jan. 25, 2015;  vs. UW-Superior, Jan. 17, 2015; vs. UW-Oshkosh, Jan. 14, 2015; vs. UW-Whitewater, Jan. 10, 2015

Zac Doll - #11
Points: 3 vs. Cardinal Stritch, Nov. 30, 2014
Rebounds: 3 vs. Cardinal Stritch, Nov. 30, 2014
Assists: 1 vs. Cardinal Stritch, Nov. 30, 2014

Sam Ortmann - #12
Points: 10 (2x) vs. UW-Oshkosh, Jan. 31, 2015; vs. John Carroll University, Dec. 29, 2014
Rebounds: 5 (3x) vs. UW-Eau Claire, Jan. 28, 2015; vs. John Carroll University, Dec. 29, 2014; vs. Viterbo University, Nov. 19, 2014:
Assists: 6 vs. John Carroll University, Dec. 29, 2014

Brett Ahsenmacher - #13
Points: 22 vs. John Carroll University, Dec. 29, 2014
Rebounds: 5 vs. UW-Eau Claire, Jan. 7, 2015
Assists: 3 (5x) vs. UW-River Falls, Jan. 21, 2015; vs. UW-Oshkosh, Jan. 14, 2015; vs. UW-Eau Claire, Jan. 7, 2015; vs. St. Scholastica, Dec. 30, 2014; vs. Bethany Lutheran, Dec. 3, 2014

Isaac Elliott - #14
Points: 14 vs. UW-River Falls, Jan. 21, 2015
Rebounds: 5 vs. UW-Platteville, Jan. 24, 2015
Assists: 2 vs. Northwestern, Dec. 20, 2014.

Jalen Patterson - #15
Points: 17 vs. UW-Superior, Jan. 17, 2015
Rebounds: 5 vs. UW-River Falls, Jan. 21, 2015
Assists: 3 (2x) vs. UW-Eau Claire, Jan. 28, 2015; vs. Ripon College, Nov. 15, 2014

Cory Speer - #23
Points: 5 vs. Ripon College, Nov. 15, 2014
Rebounds: 3 vs. Ripon College, Nov. 15, 2014
Assists: 5 vs. Viterbo University, Nov. 19, 2014:

Hank Kujak - #33
Points: 17 vs. UW-Whitewater, Jan. 10, 2015
Rebounds: 9 vs. John Carroll University, Dec. 29, 2014
Assists: 7 vs. Wartburg College, Nov. 29, 2014

Reggie Kujak - #32
Points: 11 vs. St. Scholastica, Dec. 30, 2014
Rebounds: 10 vs. John Carroll University, Dec. 29, 2014
Assists: 2 vs. UW-Stevens Point, Dec. 10, 2014

John Lahti - #42
Points: 12 (2x) vs. UW-Platteville, Jan. 24, 2015; vs. UW-Whitewater, Jan. 10, 2015
Rebounds: 6 vs. Cardinal Stritch, Nov. 30, 2014
Assists: 2 vs. John Carroll University, Dec. 29, 2014


The Last Time...(updated January 31, 2015)

A Stout Individual...
Scored 30+ points: 30, John Keefe vs. Bethany Lutheran, (12/3/14)
Scored 25-29 points: 26, Jarvis Ragland vs. Northwestern, (12/20/14)
Recorded 15 rebounds: 15, Jarvis Ragland vs. Bethany Lutheran, (12/3/14)
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. Wartburg College, Nov. 29, 2014 - Jarvis Ragland (24), Isaac Elliott (11), John Keefe (10), Brett Ahsenmacher (10), John Lahti (10)
Had four players score in double digits: vs. UW-Eau Claire, Jan. 28, 2015 - Jarvs Ragland (14), D'Marcco Patrick (14), Brett Ahsenmacher (10), Isaac Elliott (10)
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: 9, 2014-15 season
Was held to 40 or fewer points in game: 40, vs. Plattsburgh State (12/30/13)

UW-Stout Individual Game Records
Most Points:  43,  Chris Korba vs. UW-Oshkosh, 1991
Most Field Goals Attempted:  32, Bill Heideman vs. UW-River Falls, 1967-68
Most Field Goals Made:  17,  Bill Heideman vs. UW-River Falls, 1967-68
Most 3-Point Field Goals Attempted:   14,  Eric Hostetter vs.Crown College, 2010-11; Jeff Vandenberghe vs. Elmhurst, 12/13/03
Most 3-Point Field Goals Made:   9/14,  Jeff Vandenberghe vs. Elmhurst, 12/13/03; 9/12,  Jerrod Buchholtz vs. UW-River Falls 1/5/11
Consecutive Field Goals Made:  13, Craig Summers vs. E. Montana,1981-82
Best Field Goal Percentage: 100%, Tuwan Clayton (8/8) vs. Northwestern, 12/1/94; Jimmy Whitehead (8/8) at UW-Eau Claire, 1/25/14; Aaron Jenny (5/5) vs. Northland, 11/24/12;  Josh Kosloske (5/5) at Luther College, 11/25/13;  Brandon White Blackmon (5/5) vs. UW-La Crosse, 1/12/08
Most Free Throws Attempted:   22, Cal Glover vs. UW-Stevens Point, 1970-71
Most Free Throws Made:    16, Cal Glover vs. UW-Stevens Point, 1970-71; Troy Hamilton vs. Mt. Senario, 1989-90;  Keith Moessner vs. UW-La Crosse, 1957-58
Consecutive Free Throws Made: 16, Cal Glover vs. UW-Superior, 1970-71
Best Free Throw Percentage:  100%, 16-16, Cal Glover vs. UW-Superior, 1970-71; 12-12, Duke Severson vs. Augsburg, 1959-60; 11-11, Nate Templer vs. La Crosse, 2/12/03; 8-8, Erik Olson vs. UW-Superior, 1/30/13
Most Rebounds:   38, Mel Coleman vs. UW-Whitewater, 1967-68
Most Assists:  14, Brian Ellingson vs. Northland, 1986-87
Most Steals:  8,  Jerrel Enerson-Matthews vs. Bethany Lutheran 11/21/08
Most Blocked Shots:   9, Jacob Nonemacher vs. UW-Whitewater, 1/27/07