UW-La Crosse 74, UW-Stout 61
LA CROSSE (January 5, 2022) - A 17-point second half lead was too much for the Blue Devils to overcome, as they fall to conference-opponent UW-La Crosse 74-61 on Wednesday night in Mitchell Hall. Stout (6-7, 1-2) used a strong third-quarter push to a whittle down La Crosse's (9-5, 1-2) 17-point halftime lead. But the Eagles were able to connect on their free-throws down the stretch to pull off the 13 points win.
The Eagles used a second-quarter surge to pull ahead going into halftime. Stout struggled getting the ball in the basket only scoring 10 points in the second quarter on 27-percent shooting, La Crosse scored 24 points in the second quarter with 20 coming from within the paint, putting them up 41-24 at halftime.
Stout came out of the break on their own hot streak. The Blue Devils outscored the Eagles 20-10 in the third quarter, closing the Eagle's lead down to only seven, 51-44 at the end of the third.
The Blue Devils used the momentum to start out the fourth-quarter with a quick 6-3 run, making it a two-possession game at 54-50. With time expiring, the Blue Devils started intentionally fouling to try to keep time on their side. La Crosse closed out the game making 13 out of 16 free throws, pulling out the win 74-61.
Raegan Sorensen didn't see much action in the first half due to foul trouble, but came into the second half and scored 10 of her 14 points. Sorensen helped fuel Stout's third-quarter push.
Alison Murdoch and
Amanda Giesen also contributed to Stout's scoring with 12 and 11 points. Giesen was also active on the defensive end with three steals.
Anna Mutch led the team in rebounds with five, and assists with seven. Mutch also chipped in two baskets of her own.
La Crosse was led by Emma Gamoke with 19 points. Kyah Steiner recorded a double-double for the Eagles with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
As a team, Stout shot 40-percent from the field (22 for 55) while La Crosse shot 50-percent (23 for 46). The Blue Devils shot 42-percent from deep (8 for 19). La Crosse made 22 of 29 from the free throw line (14 for 19 in the fourth-quarter alone) while Stout finished nine for 16 from the line. The Eagles also had the edge in the rebounding category, 39-26.
The Blue Devil women will return back to Johnson Fieldhouse on Saturday, Jan. 8 to take on UW-Platteville in their next conference game. The tip will go up at 3 p.m.
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