Women's Basketball Preview: Stout/Blugolds tangle in doubleheader

• 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 freshmen.
• Guards Bailey Diersen and Kyncaide Diedrich have gone back-and-forth as the team's leading scorer the last several weeks. After back-to-back 19-point efforts against UW-Whitewater and UW-Eau Claire, Diersen is leading the WIAC in scoring at 15.3 pointsper contest. Diedrich, who missed one game a week ago, is currently averaging 14.8 points. Diedrich is third in the WIAC in scoring.
• Diersen and Diedrich appear towards the top in numerous WIAC categories, including scoring. Diersen is second in the league in steals with 2.56, 10th in 3-pointers made (1.25) and 14th in free throw percentage (.676, 50-74). Diedrich appears in an additional five categories and is first in steals (2.67), third in rebounds (7.0), second in assists (3.40), sixth in free throw percentage (.769, 50-65) and ninth in 3-pointers made (1.33).
• Sophomore transfer Amber Fabeck is averaging 9.0 points and 5.4 rebounds. The 6-foot-2 post player also has 20 blocked shots on the season, recording five against Martin Luther and three against Hamline, ranking second in the WIAC. Fabeck has shown range from 3-point range, collecting 17.
• Stout is outshooting their opponents from the 3-point line, dropping in 106 3-pointers made, compared to 59 made for their opponents. Diedrich and Diersen have each made 20 3-pointers, Haley Siefert 18 and Fabeck 17. Stout and River Falls are tied for third in the WIAC in 3-pointers made at 6.63.
• Stout leads the WIAC in steals, averaging 11.07 per game. Diedrich and Diersen and first and second in the conference with steals..
• Stout is averaging 65.4 points per game and is giving up 65.8 points.
• 2017-18 Statistics

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

• UW-Eau Claire jumped out to a big lead over UW-Stout in the first period and went on to a 94-62 win over the Blue Devils Wednesday at Johnson Fieldhouse.
• The Blugolds took a 17-4 lead in the first five minutes of the game. Stout did outscore Eau Claire 15-11 in second period to pull to within nine, 36-27, at halftime. That would be as close as Stout would get for the remainder of the game.
• Stout got 19 from Bailey Diersen and 17 from Kyncaide Diedrich. Eau Claire had four players in double digits, led by Hallee Hoeppner's 21 points. Katie Essen finished with 19, Kelsey Bakken 18 and Kayla Hanley 10.
• The Blugolds out rebounded Stout, 44-30. Bakken had eight rebounds for Eau Claire.UW-Stout made a run at UW-Whitewater, taking a two-point lead in the fourth quarter against the 19th-ranked Warhawks, but Whitewater regained control to hand the Blue Devils a 76-67 defeat Jan. 13 at Johnson Fieldhouse.
• UW-Eau Claire Game Story and Statistics
• Stout (7-8, 0-4 WIAC) battled back from an 11-point deficit in the third period, outscoring Whitewater 14-6 over the final five minutes of the quarter, to trail 55-52 at the end of the third period. The Blue Devils forged ahead, 59-57, at 7:54 of the fourth quarter as Amber Fabeck led off the period on two free throws  and Bailey Diersen gave Stout the lead with a bucket and 3-pointer.
• Stout would jump out to a two point lead, but three times the Warhawks (13-2, 3-1 WIAC) would answer back to knot the score. With the score tied at 63-63 with 4:19 remaining, Whitewater closed out the game on a 13-4 run, with Brooke Trewyn scoring six points on a lay-up and four free throws to lead the charge to the final score.
• Diersen, who shot 7 of 12 from the field with three 3-pointers, led Stout with 19 points. Fabeck contributed 14. Kyncaide Diedrich was held to seven points, but the guard pulled down a team-high nine rebounds.
• Stout shot 27 of 67 (37.3 percent) from the field and 7 of 26 (26.9 percent) from beyond the arc. The Blue Devils added 10 of 13 free throws. The Warhawks recorded 20 of 69 (42.0 percent) from the floor and were 3 of 10 (30.0 percent) from 3-point range. The Warhawks tallied 15 of 21 free throws, 12 of 16 in the second half, with nine coming in the fourth quarter.
• UW-Whitewater Story and Box Score
• UW-Stout struck first, but 14th-ranked UW-Oshkosh quickly answered with a strong first quarter and went on to a 67-57 win over the Blue Devils Jan. 10 at Johnson Fieldhouse.
• The Titans scored the first points of the night, but two free throws by Brianna Banks, making her first collegiate start, and a lay-up by Bailey Diersen gave Stout a 4-2 lead. Oshkosh went on a 14-0 run to take a 16-2 lead with 5:04 left in the first period.
• The Blue Devils pulled to within seven points, 18-11, with 46 left in the period, and continued the momentum into the second period, getting as close as 18-15 on a Banks layup at 7:54 of the stanza. Oshkosh built the lead back up, finishing the final seven minutes of the half by outscoring Stout 10-4, and a 28-19 halftime lead. Stout got as close as eight points early in the fourth quarter before Oshkosh pulled away.
• UW-Oshkosh Story and Box Score

• Anna Grasskamp is the team's leading scorer with 14.6 points per contest and the team's leading rebounder with 4.7 caroms per contest, but the post player has missed the last five games. Hallee Hoeppner has picked up some of the scoring slack, leading the Blugolds in scoring in three of the last five game. Hoeppner scored 16 points against UW-Platteville and 19 against UW-Whitewater. On the season, Hoeppner is averaging 10.7 points. Hoeppner and Kelsey Bakken are the only Blugolds to have started all 15 games. Bakken is averaging 8.7 points per game. Hoeppner leads the WIAC in minutes played (30.8). As team, the Blugolds average 64.7 points and give up 56.8. Eau Claire started off the season with a seven game winning streak.
• Blugold Statistics
   

• Eau Claire got back into the win column with a 51-50 victory over the UW-Steven Point Pointers on Jan. 13 in Zorn Area. A Blugold 16-4 third quarter brought Eau Claire back and Kayla Hanley made 1-2 free throws with five seconds remaining to cap the victory. Jenni LaCroix lead the Blugolds with 10 points on three critical 3-pointers. Elly Boles and Sarah Huebner did their part spelling Essen with eight and six points, respectively, to lead a bench that scored 25 points.
• Game Story and Statistics
• Eau Claire fell to the No. 15 UW-Whitewater Jan. 10 in Whitewater 86-61.Hallee Hoeppner led the Blugolds with19 points on five made 3-pointers. Kayla Hanley tallied 17 points and Kelsey Bakken had 10 points, a team-high seven rebounds and four steals.
• Game Story and Statistics

• Jenna Goldsmith and Kyncaide Diedrich both extended their conference-long scoring streak, but it wouldn't be enough as UW-Eau Claire moved past UW-Stout in the fourth quarter to take an 83-67 win over the Blue Devils Wednesday at Zorn Arena Feb. 1, 2017.
• Game Story and Statistics
• Jenna Goldsmith posted 22 points and eight rebounds, but UW-Stout fell to rival UW-Eau Claire, 74-68, Jan. 18, 2017. Three more Blue Devils scored in double-digits, including Bailey Diersen with 12, Anna Brown with 11, and Kyncaide Diedrich with 10.
• Game Story and Statistics
• The Blugolds have won the last four meetings. Stout's last win over Eau Claire came Jan. 28, 2015, in Menomonie, 61-59.
• Feb. 1, 2017 - @Eau Claire 83, Stout 67
• Jan. 18, 2017 - Eau Claire 74, @Stout 68
• Jan. 30, 2016 - @Eau Claire 80, Stout 63
• Jan. 13, 2016 - Eau Claire 81, @Stout 67
• Jan 28, 2015 - @Stout 61, Eau Claire 59
• Jan. 7, 2015 - @Eau Claire 66, Stout 49
   

• Brynn Liljander is the Falcons' leading scorer with 15.0 points, second in the WIAC behind Stout's Bailey Diersen.  Liljander  has connected on 32 3-pointers and is an impressive 42 of 50 from the free throw line, second in the conference. Taylor Karge is tossing in 11.5 points and is the team's leading rebounder at 6.3 per game. Karge is tied for second in the league in blocked shots (1.20).  Jaycie Gerding, who led the Falcons with 19 points against La Crosse on Wednesday, is the league's leader in 3-point shooting percentage, hitting  51.5 percent (17-33) of her shots from beyond the arc. The Falcons are averaging 63.9 points per game and allowing 53.3.
• The Falcons' loss to Oshkosh last weekend snapped a nine-game winning streak. Brynn Liljander had been the team's leading scorer the last five games (before Wednesday's upcoming game with La Crosse) and has led the team in scoring in 10 of 16 games. The senior had scored more than 20 points in the last three games.
• Falcon Statistics
   

• The Falcons got back on the winning track with a 72-54 win over UW-La Crosse Wednesday at Page Arena. The Falcons ended the second period with an 11-2 run and led the Eagles 46-32 at the half.In the third, Falcons led by as much as 24 points.  The Eagles were able to get as close as 18 points with less than a minute remaining in the quarter. The Falcons broke out to their biggest lead of the game in the fourth quarter going up 72-47.
• Jaycie Gerding connected on five 3-point shots to lead the Falcons with 19 points.  She was 6-9 from the floor and added three rebounds and one steal. Taylor Karge was 8-14 from the floor and made two three point shots to give her 18 points.  She led the team in rebounds with eight. Crystal Pearson came off the bench for 10 points.  She was 4-5 from the floor. As a team, UW-River Falls shot 29-57 (50.9 percent) from the floor. The Falcons were 9-21 (42.9 percent) from the three point line and connected on 5-7 (71.4 percent) from the line.
• Game Story and Statistics
• River Falls suffered their first loss since November after falling 62-69 to No. 14 UW-Oshkosh at home Jan. 13. In the fourth, the Falcons looked like they were going to come back after Brynn Liljander sank a three and followed it with a free throw with eleven seconds remaining.  They were only down three points with seconds remaining but two missed layups forced the Falcons to foul the Titans and make them shoot from the line. Taylor Karge had a game high 21 points on 6-16 shooting.  She was 2-5 from beyond the arc and 7-8 from the charity stripe. Crystal Pearson came off the bench for 12 points and six rebounds.  She was 4-6 from the floor and 4-5 from the free throw line. As a team, UWRF shot 21-47 (44.7 percent) from the floor, 4-16 (25 percent) from the arc and 16-20 (80.0 percent) from the line.
• Game Story and Statistics

• River Falls erased a Stout halftime lead by outscoring the Blue Devils 24-8 in the third quarter and went on for a 72-63 win at Karges Center, Feb. 8, 2017. The Blue Devils took an 11-point, 33-22, point lead into the locker room, but saw the lead evaporate with the Falcons' outburst.
• Game Story and Statistics
•  UW-Stout came back from a 24-point deficit to bring the game to within one point, but fell in the final seconds to WIAC rival River Falls, Jan. 25, 2017, in Johnson Fieldhouse. Four Blue Devils scored in double-digits, Kyncaide Diedrich led the way once again with 19 points.
• Game Story and Statistics
• UW-River Falls has won the last five meetings. Stout's last win over River Falls came Jan. 21, 2015, in Menomonie, 57-55.

• 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.

• Mark Thomas (472-337) 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. .

• Tonja Englund (308-175) is in her 18th season at Eau Claire. The Blugolds finished off their 2016-2017 season fifth in the WIAC with a 7-7 record, and a 13-13 record overall. Coming into the 2017-2018 season Englund's 297 wins ranks fourth most in WIAC history. In 2015-16 Englund became UW-Eau Claire's winningest women's basketball coach. Englund has four WIAC Championships in her tenure (2001,2003,2008,2012) as well as five NCAA tournament appearances.

• Cindy Holbrook (248-213) is in her 18th season at River Falls. During the 2016-17 season Holbrook led the Falcons to a 9-18 overall record, while going 3-11 in conference play. Holbrook led the 2015-16 Falcons to a 23-6 overall record and 12-2 in the WIAC to win the regular season championship.  The Falcons advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament which they hosted at the Karges Center. Holbrook was an All-American player for UW-Stout and was inducted into the Blue Devil Hall of Fame in 2005.

UW-Stout Collegiate Career Highs (Updated January 21, 2018)

The Last Time...A Stout Team...
Scored 105 points: 106, vs. Crown, (11/28/12); 111, vs. St. Scholastica (1/6/04)
Scored 100-104 points: 103, vs. Finlandia (12/11/07)
Had six players score in double digits: vs. UW-Platteville, Feb. 20, 2016 - Sarah Schoch (17), Jenna Goldsmith (17), Kyncaide Diedrich (13), Shannan Watkins (10), Bailey Diersen (10), Anna Brown (10);
Had five players score in double digits: vs. UW-Platteville, Jan. 28, 2017 - Bailey Diersen (17); Kycaide Diedrich (15); Jenna Goldsmith (15); Carolyn Feddema (13); Anna Brown (10).
Had four players score in double digits: vs. UW-River Falls, Jan. 20, 2018 - Kyncaide Diedrich (34), Bailey Diersen (16), Haley Seifert (15), Amber Fabeck (10); . UW-River Falls, Feb. 8, 2017 - Jenna Goldsmith (15), Anna Brown (15), Kyncaide Diedrich (14), Bailey Diersen (10); vs. UW-River Falls, Jan. 25, 2017 - Kyncaide Diedrich (19), Bailey Diersen (15), Jenna Goldsmith (14), Anna Brown (14).
Recorded 60 rebounds: 68, vs. North Central, (11/15/13)
Recorded 55-59 rebounds: 55 vs. University of Dubuque, (12/10/16)
Won 10 or more consecutive games: 15, 1993-94 season
Lost 5 or more consecutive games: 6, 2017-18 season

The Last Time...A Stout Individual Opponent...
Scored 25-plus points: 26, Brynn Liljander (1/20/18)

The Last Time...A Stout Opponent...
Scored 105 points: 107, vs. Millikin (12/30/99)
Was held to less than 50 points: 26 vs. Northland College, (12/2/17)
Held Stout to less than 50 points: 46 vs. Trine University (12/28/17)

UW-Stout Individual Game Records
Most Points: 39, Cindy Hovet vs. UW-Platteville, 1/22/94
Most Rebounds: 26, Yonna Grey vs. Valley City State, 11/19/94
Most FG Attempted: 30, Julie Maki vs. UW-Eau Claire, 1993
Most FG Made: 15, Cindy Hovet vs. UW-Platteville, 1/22/94
Most 3Pt FG Made: 8 (2x) Staci Anderson vs. UW-La Crosse, 1/20/00; Shannon Berg vs. Northwestern College, 12/17/98
Most FT Attempted: 17, Andrea Bresette at UW-Superior, 1/15/00
Most FT Made: 14, Andrea Bresette at UW-Superior, 1/15/00
Most Assists: 11, Amanda Geissler vs. UW-Platteville, 1/20/07
Most Blocked Shots: 10, Kelsey Duoss vs. UW-Whitewater, 1/27/07
Most Steals: 11, Cindy Hovet vs. Marian College, 1991