Stout comes to life in third quarter to bomb Platteville, 65-41

UW-Stout 65, UW-Platteville 41 | Video Replay | Photo Gallery
 
MENOMONIE (January 4, 2020) – The game was on pace to be the lowest scoring game by UW-Stout and an opponent in more than seven years when Stout broke the game open in the third quarter with a 3-point explosion and went on to a 65-41 conference opening win over UW-Platteville Saturday on Dewey Mintz Court in Johnson Fieldhouse.
 
With the Blue Devils (10-2, 1-0 WIAC) leading 21-18 at halftime, the Blue Devils dropped in five 3-pointers in the third quarter with point guard Liz Oswald dropping in three dimes on three attempts, and post player Amber Fabeck and guard Katie Christopherson each contributing one, with Christopherson's trey coming at the buzzer to give Stout a 46-32 lead.
 
Christopherson picked up where she left off in the beginning of the fourth quarter, nailing her third 3-pointer of the night only seven seconds into the final quarter to give Stout a 17 point lead. The Pioneers would never get any closer the rest of the night.
 
After Platteville (8-4, 0-1 WIAC) pulled to within 21-20 on a bucket by the Pioneers' Maiah Domask 15 seconds into the third quarter, Oswald drained her first bomb of the game at 9:17. Stout built up a small lead through the period when Oswald struck again, this time giving Stout a 33-24 lead at 3:04. A pair of Platteville free throws cut the lead to seven before Oswald took the game to a 10 point lead, 36-26, at 2:31.
 
Fabeck would make it 41-29 around the one minute mark on a 3 and Christopherson closed out the period from downtown as Stout outscored Platteville 25-14 in the period. The Blue Devils went on to outscore Platteville 19-9 in the second half.
 
Fabeck scored 13 points to lead Stout. Oswald contributed 12 points and Haylee Yaeger 11 points. Christopherson finished with nine points, all on 3s. The Blue Devils held a decided advantage off the glass, pulling down 51 boards to 28 for Platteville. Shannan Watkins led all players with 11 rebounds.
 
The Pioneers' Domask led all players with 14 points, but was limited to four points in the second half. Domask, the league's leading rebounder, had seven rebounds. Morgan Horstman scored 13 points, nine in the second half.
 
Neither team shot well in the first half, with both teams shooting around the 25 percent mark, Platteville hitting 8 of 31 and Stout 7 of 28. The Blue Devils were perfect at the line in the first half, hitting all six charity shots and finished the night hitting 16 of 20 from the line. Stout finished the game shooting 37.5 percent (21-56) from the floor and 41.2 percent (7 of 17) from beyond the arc. The Blue Devils shot 50.0 percent (14-28) in the second half overall and 60.0 percent (6-10) from 3-point range after the break.
 
The Pioneers shot 29.6 percent (16-54) from the floor, 20 percent (3-15) from 3-point range and 42.9 percent (6-14) from the line.
 
Stout turned the ball over 11 times in the first half, but only seven times in the second half. The Pioneers turned the ball over six times before halftime, but 16 times for the game.

The 41 points allowed was the fewest Stout has allowed this season and the fewest since holding Crown College to 40 points last season. 

The Blue Devils will hit the road for a pair of conference games, traveling to UW-Eau Claire, Wednesday, Jan. 8 for a 6 p.m. tip as the first game in a doubleheader with the men's programs, then will head to UW-Oshkosh, Saturday, Jan. 11 for a 3 p.m. start.