Women's Basketball Preview: Blue Devils wrap up torrid pace, at MLC Monday

at Martin Luther College: Live Stats | Live Video    Home Games: Live Stats | Live Video | WIAC Weekly Release

THIS WEEK'S GAMES: For the Blue Devils (4-3, 0-0 WIAC) there is little time off as UW-Stout completes its five-games-in-just-over-a-week schedule when they travel to New Ulm, Minn., to face Martin Luther College, (2-5, 0-0 UMAC) Monday, Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. The Blue Devils started off their "NBA-style" schedule when they defeated St. Catherine, Sunday, Nov. 26, at home, defeated St. Olaf College, Tuesday, Nov. 28, in Northfield, Minn., lost at UW-Superior, Friday, Dec. 1 and rolled over Northland College, Saturday, Dec. 2 in Johnson Fieldhouse. The Blue Devils will earn a respite after the Martin Luther game. Stout will then be off until Saturday, Dec. 16 when they travel to Hamline University.
 
MARK THOMAS INTERVIEWS: Throughout the season, Pete Knutson 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.  Listen to Interviews

WEBCASTS: All UW-Stout home games will be available in a live video stream by Blue Devil Video with Amuchy Logan and Tom Schmelzle on the call. WMEQ 880 Radio, with Pete Knutson, Jay Fahl 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.

PARKING: Parking on the UW-Stout campus is restricted during the business week. For games in Johnson Fieldhouse during the week, please plan to park in Lot 29. Do not park in Lot 4, which is a reserved lot for students that live in the residence halls.

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.


A LOOK AT UW-STOUT:

• The Blue Devils have nine returners, with four starters back for the 2017-18 season. Stout has one senior, five juniors, five sophomores and 12 freshman.
• Bailey Diersen is having a banner season and leads the team and the WIAC in scoring, averaging 18.0 points per contest. Diersen has scored in double digits in all seven games this season, with a career-high 27 points in the season opener against the University of Dubuque. Diersen leads the team and the WIAC in steals with 20.
• Kyncaide Diedrich has simply picked up where she left off last year. The All-WIAC honorable mention pick is averaging 15.4 points per game and is the team's leading rebounder at 6.7 caroms per contest. Diedrich leads the team in assists with 25. Diedrich is fifth in the WIAC in scoring, sixth in rebounding, second in assists and third in steals.
• Sophomore transfer Amber Fabeck is averaging 8.3 points and 5.3 rebounds. The 6-foot-2 post player also has six blocked shots on the season, ranking fourth int he WIAC. Fabeck showed some range against St. Olaf College. stepping outside to attempt four 3-pointers and burying three.
• Stout is outshooting their opponents from the 3-point line, collecting 47 3-pointers made, compared to 24 made for their opponents. Diersen and Diedrich have each tickled the twine for 10 3-pointers made. Stout is second in the WIAC in 3-pointers made at 6.71.
• Stout leads the WIAC in steals, averaging 11.28 per game. UW-Stevens Point is second at 10.32. Diersen leads the conference in steals (2.86/game).
• Stout is averaging 69.0 points per game and are giving up 61.3 points for a plus-7.7 point advantage.
• Kyncaide Diedrich and Bailey Diersen averaged more than 10 points per contest last season. Diedrich led the Blue Devils with 13.4 points, finishing fifth in the conference. Diersen averaged 10.9 points, finishing 13th in the league in scoring.
• Diedrich finished first in the league in assists, averaging 3.8. Diedrich was an All-WIAC honorable mention pick.
• The Blue Devils' lone senior, Anna Brown, started 24 games last season, averaging 8.5 points and 3.8 rebounds.
• The Blue Devils were picked to finish seventh in a preseason poll conducted by WIAC coaches and sports information directors.
• An injury kept Shannan Watkins off the court after nine games. Watkins averaged 10.9 points and is expected to return to the Blue Devil lineup second semester as she completes an internship.
• Speaking of internships, Haley Seifert returns to the Blue Devils after completing an internship last season. The point guard saw action in 26 games in the 2015-16 season
• 2017-18 Statistics

CONFERENCE STANDINGS:

• The Blue Devils are projected to finish seventh in the WIAC according to a WIAC preseason poll by conference coaches and sports information directors.

STOUT LAST TIME OUT:

• If the Blue Devils were smarting last year after seeing a 10-game winning streak stopped last season against Northland College, Stout made the Lumberjills pay for the transgression Dec. 2 with a 68-26 home win.
• Stout needed only the first two minutes of the game to race out to a 10-0 lead on their way to a 68-26 win over Northland College Saturday at Johnson Fieldhouse. And the Blue Devil offense just kept rolling as the defense completely shut down the Lumberjills.
• Bailey Diersen hit a lay-up only seconds into the game, Kyncaide Diedrich followed up with a 3-pointer and Haley Seifert followed up with a 3-pointer of her own to give the Blue Devils an 8-0 lead and Anna Brown made it a 10 point lead.
• The Lumberjills would get on the scoreboard with about three minutes off the clock, but Stout raced out to a 24-5 first quarter lead, a 39-15 halftime advantage and a 53-20 third quarter lead. Stout would hold the Lumberjills to five points in the first period, 10 in the second, five in the third and six in the fourth.
• Diedrich led all scorers with 16 points, Brown finished with 12 and Diersen 10. Stout was able to empty their bench as 13 players scored and 13 players had at least one rebound. Stout shot 41.9 percent (26-62) from the field and hit 8-of-20 3-point attempts. Stout held a 40-23 advantage in rebounds. Emily Jacques finished with five rebounds.
• The Lumberjills were held to 25.6 percent (10-39) shooting and committed 25 turnovers.Stout recorded 12 steals, with Diedrich and Diersen each picking Northland's pocket four times.
• The 26 points by the Lumberjills was the fewest points Stout has allowed during the Mark Thomas era. The school mark stretches back to the 1970s when games were not nearly as high scoring on either side, with both sides scoring in the 20s and 30s. During the 1976-77 season, Stout defeated UW-Barron County by scores of 40-19 and 62-26. The next year, the Blue Devils defeated Barron County, a two-year school, 53-26.
• Northland College Story and Box Score

 
SCOUTING MARTIN LUTHER COLLEGE

• The Knights finished last season 10-16 overall and 8-8 in league play, good for fifth place in the final conference standings. That finished helped MLC to its ninth-consecutive trip to the UMAC Postseason Tournament.
• MLC returns three senior starters from that team in Jade St. Germaine, Grace Schultz and Hailey Johnson. St. Germaine earned Honorable Mention All-UMAC honors last season after finishing in the top five in the conference in rebounds, blocks and points per game. Schultz was named to the UMAC All-Defense Team a year ago, and enters this season fourth in program history with 898 career points.
• Also returning will be several players from last season hoping to build off last season's experience with a bigger role this season, as well as Moriah Hackbarth, who returns to the program after missing last season due to injury.
• Grace Schultz leads the Knights with a 13.8 points per game average and a 9.0 rebounding average.
• Jade St. Germaine is averaging 13.0 points and 7.5 rebounds.
• Knights 2017-18 Statistics

KNIGHTS LAST TIME OUT

• The Knights lost, 56-36 at Calvin College, Dec. 1, and kept Great Lakes Christian, winless with a 70-38 win Dec. 2.
• Martin Luther opened its two-day trip to Michigan with a 56-36 loss at Calvin College on Friday.The Knights came to play on the defensive end, holding Calvin to 27 percent shooting from the field and 3-24 shooting from beyond the arc, but struggled to score on the other end of the floor.
• MLC was held to 22.4 percent shooting for the game, and also committed 27 turnovers. The Knights outrebounded Calvin 52-42, were unable to take advantage of enough of heir second chance opportunities.
• Calvin ended the first half with a 29-20 lead, and then pushed the lead to 37-26 after a low-scoring third quarter for both teams. From there, the Calvin defense held the MLC offense to only two fourth-quarter field goals as they put the game away.
• Jade St. Germaine led MLC with 11 points. Grace Schultz grabbed a career-best 16 rebounds to go with eight points and three steals. Moriah Hackbarth added nine rebounds and two blocks.
• Calvin Game Story and Stats
• Martin Luther earned a 70-38 win over Great Lakes Christian College on the second day of a two-day trip to the state of Michigan on Saturday.
• The Knights dominated the game from the start and outscored GLCC in all four quarters on the way to the win.
• Grace Schultz led MLC with 16 points, and now sits only three points shy of 1,000 for her career.
• Hailey Johnson and Jade St. Germaine each finished with nine points, while Kati Aguilar and Cassandra Anklam were each credited with eight points off the bench.
• Great Lakes Christian Game Story and Stats

LAST TIME STOUT AND MARTIN LUTHER MET

• Brea Boomer scored a career-high 20 points and UW-Stout never trailed from the opening tipoff as the Blue Devils defeated Martin Luther College, 80-60, in the Quality Inn and Suites Turkey Shootout Nov. 25, 2012, at Johnson Fieldhouse.
• Boomer tallied nine points in the first half - six points in the first eight minutes - as Stout  ran off to a 41-25 halftime lead. The Blue Devils were aided in the first half by 16 points off the bench, compared to only five for Martin Luther..
• The Blue Devils' full court pressure also caused havoc for the Knights, which turned the ball over 16 times in the first half and 25 times for the game.
• Whitney Rawdon scored 15 points for Stout, while Rachel Hanley came off the bench to finish with a career-best 12 points. Rawdon dished off a career-best five assists.
• Brittney Gossen led Martin Luther with 20 points. Hannah Hackbarth finished with 15 and Alex Anthon had 10 points.
• Game Story and Statistics

A DEFENSIVE EFFORT NOT SEEN IN MORE THAN 35 YEARS

• If the Blue Devils were smarting after seeing a 10-game winning streak stopped last season against Northland College, Stout made the Lumberjills pay for the transgression Dec. 2 with a 68-26 win in Johnson Fieldhouse.
• The 26 points by the Lumberjills was the fewest points Stout has allowed during the Mark Thomas era. The school mark stretches back to the 1970s when women's basketball games were not nearly as high scoring on either side, with both teams at times scoring in the 20s and 30s. During the 1976-77 season, Stout defeated UW-Barron County by scores of 40-19 and 62-26. The next year, the Blue Devils defeated Barron County, a two-year school, 53-26.During the 1972-73 season, Stout's wins of the season came in back-to-back wins over a pair of two-year UW schools, a 38-16 win at UW-Waukesha, followed by a 36-18 win over UW-Fond du Lac. The 16 points is the fewest allowed in school history.
• During Thomas' 31 seasons, the fewest points allowed by Stout was 33 in a 95-33 win over Crown College, Nov. 15, 2011.

AWARDS AND HONORS: 2017-18: Bailey Diersen was selected as the UW-Stout/Toppers Athlete of the Week, Nov. 20, after scoring 27 points against the University of Dubuque and 17 points against UW-Superior to open the weekend... 2016-17: Kyncaide Diedrich and Jenna Goldsmith both earned All-WIAC honorable mention honors...Kyncaide Diedrich was the UW-Stout/DigiCopy Athlete of the Week, Jan. 3...Shannan Watkins was the UW-Stout/DigiCopy Athlete of the Week, Dec. 12...Jenna Goldsmith was the WIAC athlete of the week, Dec. 6, after scoring a career-high 28 points in a 94-90 shootout loss to Northland College, Nov. 29...Kyncaide Diedrich selected to St. Benedict all-tournament team, Nov. 20...Jenna Goldsmith was an all-WIAC honorable mention selection and now assistant coach Kyleigh Hebert was a first team all-WIAC pick...Jenna Goldsmith was selected as the UW-Stout/Northwestern Mutual Athlete of the Week, Dec. 1, Jan. 4 and again Feb. 8....Jenna Goldsmith was a first team all-conference selection in 2014-15.

TEAM CAPTAINS: Team captains for the 2017-18 season are Anna Brown, Kyncaide Diedrich and Bailey Diersen.

THE COACHES:
UW-STOUT:

• Mark Thomas (469-331) is in his 31st year as the coach of the Blue Devils and is the longest tenured head coach in Blue Devil history. Terry Petrie coached the Blue Devil baseball team for 30 seasons
• 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 under Thomas' tutelage. 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. .
• Thomas surpassed former baseball coach Terry Petrie as the longest tenured coach at UW-Stout. Petrie was the baseball head coach for 30 seasons.

MARTIN LUTHER COLLEGE:

• Dan Gawrisch is in his fourth season at the helm of the MLC women's basketball program after taking over the program in the 2014-15 season. An MLC graduate, Gawrisch was an assistant women's basketball coach one season before taking over as the head coach.

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.

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

UP NEXT:  Stout is off until they travel to Hamline University, Saturday, Dec. 16 for a 1 p.m. contest.


UW-Stout 2017-18 Season Highs (Updated December 3, 2017)

Points: 27, Bailey Diersen vs. the University of Duqubue, Nov. 17, 2017
3-Pointers Made: 4, (2x) Bailey Diersen vs. UW-Superior, Dec. 1, 2017; Bailey Diersen vs. the University of Duqubue, Nov. 17, 2017
Rebounds: 10, Amber Faback vs. Ripon College, Nov. 21, 2017; Kyncaide Diedrich vs. the University of Duqubue, Nov. 17, 2017
Assists: 6, Kyncaide Diedrich vs. Northland College, Dec. 2, 2017
Blocks: 2, Amber Fabeck vs. St. Olaf, Nov. 28, 2017; vs. St. Catherine, Nov. 26, 2017
Double-Doubles: Kyncaide Diedrich (17 pts, 10 rbs) vs. the University of Duqubue, Nov. 17, 2017;

UW-Stout 2017-18 Team Season Highs (Updated December 3, 2017)

Points: 84 vs. the University of Dubuque, Nov. 17, 2017
Points in First Half: 39 vs. Northland College, Dec. 2, 2017
Points in Second Half: 47 (2x) vs. St. Olaf, Nov. 28, 2017; vs. the University of Dubuque, Nov. 17, 2017
Points in First Quarter: 24 vs. Northland College, Dec. 2, 2017
Points in Second Quarter: 29 vs. the University of Dubuque, Nov. 17, 2017
Points in Third Quarter: 26 vs. the University of Dubuque, Nov. 17, 2017
Points in Fourth Quarter: 24 vs. St. Olaf, Nov. 28, 2017
Field Goals Made: 30 (2x) vs. St. Olaf, Nov. 28, 2017; vs. the University of Dubuque, Nov. 17, 2017
Field Goal Percentage: .492 vs. the University of Dubuque, Nov. 17, 2017
3-Pointers Made: 12 vs. University of Dubuque, Nov. 17, 2017
Free Throws Made: 24 vs. St. Catherine, Nov. 26, 2017
Free Throw Percentage: 909 vs. UW-Superior, Dec. 1, 2017
Rebounds: 54 vs. the University of Dubuque, Nov. 17, 2017
Assists: 19 vs. the University of Dubuque, Nov. 17, 2017
Turnovers: 32 vs. the University of Dubuque, Nov. 17, 2017
Blocked Shots: 2 (3x) vs. St. Olaf, Nov. 28, 2017;  vs. St. Catherine, Nov. 26, 2017; vs. Ripon College, Nov. 21, 2017
Steals: 18 vs. St. Catherine, Nov. 26, 2017

UW-Stout Collegiate Career Highs (Updated December 3, 2017)

Liz Oswald - #1
Points: 6 vs. UW-Superior, Dec. 1, 2017
Rebounds: 1 (2x) vs. St. Catherine, Nov. 26, 2017; vs. Ripon College, Nov. 21, 2017
Assists: 3 vs. the University of Dubuque, Nov. 17, 2017

Lizzy Olsem - #2
Points: 2 vs. UW-Superior, Nov. 18, 2017
Rebounds: 3 vs. Ripon College, Nov. 21, 2017
Assists: x

Becky Fesenmaier- #4
Points: 7 vs. UW-Platteville, Jan. 4, 2017;
Rebounds: 4 (2x) vs. UW-Stevens Point, Feb. 11, 2017; vs. UW-Platteville, Jan. 28, 2017;
Assists: 3 vs. UW-River Falls, Jan. 25, 2017

Kyncaide Diedrich - #5
Points: 22 (3x) vs. St. Olaf College, Nov. 28, 2017: vs. Carleton College, Dec. 30, 2016; vs. Hamline, Nov. 22, 2016
Rebounds: 10 (3x) vs. the University of Dubuque, Nov. 17, 2017; vs. UW-Whitewater, Feb. 4, 2017: vs. UW-Platteville, Jan. 4, 2017;
Assists: 9 (2x) vs. UW-Platteville, Jan. 28, 2017; vs. UW-Eau Claire, Jan. 18, 2017;

Haley Seifert - #10
Points: 11 vs. Simpson College, Nov. 21, 2015
Rebounds: 4 vs. Hamilton, Dec. 30, 2015
Assists: 5 vs. Hamline University, Nov. 24, 2015

Shannan Watkins - #11
Points: 21 vs. UW-Superior, Dec. 6, 2016
Rebounds: 7 (2x) vs. UW-Superior, Dec. 6, 2016; vs. St. Mary's, Nov. 19, 2016
Assists: 7 vs. Hamline, Nov. 22, 2016

Katie Sukanen - #13
Points: 2 (2x) vs. Ripon College, Nov. 21, 2017; vs. the University of Dubuque, Nov. 17, 2017
Rebounds: 2 vs. the University of Dubuque, Nov. 17, 2017
Assists: 1 vs. UW-Superior, Nov. 18, 2017

Carsyn Osterman - #14
Points: 3 vs. St. Olaf, Nov. 28, 2017
Rebounds: 1 (3x)  vs. Northland College, Dec. 2, 2017; vs. UW-Superior, Dec. 1, 2017;  vs. St. Catherine, Nov. 26, 2017
Assists: 1 vs. Ripon College, Nov. 21, 2017

Bailey Diersen - #20
Points: 27 vs. the University of Dubuque, Nov. 17, 2017
Rebounds: 7 (3x) vs. St. Catherine, Nov. 26, 2017; vs. UW-Eau Claire, Jan. 13, 2016; vs. Gustavus Adolphus, Nov. 20, 2015
Assists: 5 (2x) vs. UW-Whitewater, Feb. 4, 2017: vs. UW-Eau Claire, Feb. 1, 2017

Brianna Banks - #22
Points: 6 vs. St. Catherine, Nov. 26, 2017
Rebounds: 4 vs. St. Catherine, Nov. 26, 2017
Assists: 4 vs. the University of Dubuque, Nov. 17, 2017

Wynia Mintz - #24
Points: x
Rebounds: x
Assists: x

Kara Griswold - #25
Points: 8 vs. the University of Dubuque, Nov. 17, 2017
Rebounds: 4 vs. St. Catherine, Nov. 26, 2017
Assists: 2 vs. UW-Superior, Nov. 18, 2017

Carolyn Feddema - #30
Points: 14 vs. University of Dubuque, Dec. 10, 2016
Rebounds: 9 (3x) vs. UW-La Crosse, Feb. 15, 2017); vs. UW-Platteville, Jan. 4, 2017; vs. University of Dubuque, Dec. 10, 2016
Assists: 2 vs. UW-Platteville, Jan. 4, 2017;

Shayna Hohlfelder - #31
Points: 1 vs. St. Olaf, Nov. 28, 2017
Rebounds: 1 (2x) vs. St. Olaf, Nov. 28, 2017; vs. UW-Whitewater, Feb. 4, 2017:
Assists: x

Anna Brown - #32
Points: 18 vs. Gustavus Adolphus, Dec. 13, 2016:
Rebounds: 9 vs. University of Dubuque, Dec. 10, 2016
Assists: 2 vs. UW-Superior, Dec. 6, 2016

Claire Thorn - #33
Points: x
Rebounds: x
Assists: x

Keysha Hazelton - #34
Points: 3 vs. Northland College, Dec. 2, 2017
Rebounds: 2 vs. Northland College, Dec. 2, 2017
Assists: x

Courtney Oleson - #35
Points: 2 (2x) vs. Northland College, Dec. 2, 2017; vs. UW-Whitewater, Feb. 4, 2017:
Rebounds: x
Assists: x

Amber Fabeck - #41
Points: 14 vs. St. Olaf, Nov. 28, 2017
Rebounds: 10 vs. Ripon College, Nov. 21, 2017
Assists: 4 vs. St. Olaf, Nov. 28, 2017

Alexa Gravunder - #42
Points: x
Rebounds: 2 vs. Ripon College, Nov. 21, 2017
Assists: x

Ayesha Paskert - #43
Points: 2 vs. St. Olaf, Nov. 28, 2017
Rebounds: 2 vs. St. Olaf, Nov. 28, 2017
Assists: x

Emily Jacques - #44
Points: 9 vs. UW-Whitewater, Feb. 4, 2017:
Rebounds: 9 vs. UW-Superior, Nov. 18, 2017
Assists: 2 vs. Carleton College, Dec. 30, 2016

Emme Osmonson - #45
Points: x
Rebounds: x
Assists: x