Big second half propels Blue Devils to 87-74 win over Pointers

UW-Stout 87, UW-Stevens Point 74

STEVENS POINT (January 19, 2022) – UW-Stout overcame a halftime deficit and outscored UW-Stevens Point by 15 points in the second half to take an 87-74 win on Bennett Court in Quandt Fieldhouse Wednesday.
 
Stout (12-5, 3-3 WIAC) had five players in double figures, led by Brody Fox's 19 points. Jon Ciriacks and Luke Geiger each scored 15 points, Armani Tinsley added 14 and Jackson Noll finished with 11 points. Drew Scott scored nine points and pulled down a career-best nine rebounds. Ciriacks and Geiger both collected double-doubles, each pulling down 10 rebounds. Stout out-rebounded the Pointers 48-25.
 
The Blue Devils shot a blistering 70.4 percent (19-27) in the second half, hitting 19 of 27 shots from the floor. The Blue Devils also made 10 of 11 second half free throws. Stout finished the game shooting 57.9 percent (33-57). Stout dropped in 7 of 18 3-pointers. 

Stout trailed by as much as 11 points midway through the first half, but fought back to actually take a 31-30 lead with about three minutes left before intermission. The Pointers built up a four point, 36-32 lead with about two minutes left, but a bucket by Geiger cut the lead to 36=34 at halftime. 

The teams traded leads and battled to several tied scores for the first seven minutes of the second half. Jackson Noll gave Stout a 54-52 lead on a 3-pointer at the 13:40 mark. igniting a 12-0 run for an 11-point 63-52 lead at 10:22. The Pointers tied the score at 66, going on their own run and again the teams traded small leads.

The Pointers led 71-70 at 4:59 when Stout caught fire again, closing the game on a 17-3 run, spreading the scoring among five players. Fox dropped in four free throws and a basket for six points. Tinsley added four free throws, Geiger scored a bucket and a free throw and Ciriacks and TYreese Alexander each had two points, 
 
The Pointers (3-9, 0-5 WIAC) got 22 points from Garrett Nelson. Cliff McCray scored 13 points, Jake Buchanan scored 11 and Zach Mootz finished with 10.
 
The Blue Devil win snapped a 16-game losing streak to the Pointers going back to Jan. 9, 2013.

Stout will host second ranked UW-Platteville, Saturday, Jan. 22 at 3 p.m.