UW-Stout 60, UW-La Crosse 74
MENOMONIE (February 16, 2022) - UW-Stout struggled to get started offensively, while defensive-minded UW-La Crosse got red hot in the second quarter. Stout tried to battle back in the second half, but the three-ball and defensive presence in the paint was too much for the Blue Devils to find the win on Wednesday night at Johnson Fieldhouse and the Eagles took a 74-60 win.
The first quarter stayed close, as both teams struggled to find the basket. The second quarter saw Stout continue to struggle from the floor, but La Crosse started to find the basket connecting on 5 of 8 three pointers. This shooting pushed La Crosse to outscore the Blue Devils 23 to 11 in the second, closing out the first half with a 33-20 led.
Stout continued to fight hard in the second half, but La Crosse protected to paint well, taking away one of Stout's strongest offensive play. La Crosse's Kyah Steiner finished with four blocks. The Eagles continued to make their shots from three-point range, which made the Blue Devil comeback more difficult.
There was a little sign of hope at the beginning of the fourth quarter when Stout went on a 9-0 run. The Eagles immediately flipped the script and went on a 12-0 run, giving them their biggest lead of the night at 22. Stout closed the gap towards the end of the game, but the Blue Devils didn't have enough time on the clock to finish out the game.
Emma Gamoke led all scorers with 29 points. La Crosse was 11 for 21 from deep all game, Gamoke made seven of those.
For Stout,
Amanda Giesen led the way with 18 points and nine rebounds.
Anna Mutch added in 10 points of her own.
Allison Letcher connected on two three balls and finished with 8 points.
As a team Stout finished 39-percent form the floor (21 for 54) and La Crosse with 47-percent (27 for 57). The Eagles also led a close rebound battle 38-33.
The Blue Devil's are now looking at the WIAC playoffs. Seedings for the WIAC tournament are expected to be released late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning.
