Blue Devils take 100th meeting against I-94 Rival, Upset Blugolds 68-60

UW-Stout 68, UW-Eau Claire 60

MENOMONIE (February 9, 2022) – The UW-Stout women's basketball team showed off their prowess on the boards as they completed the season sweep of their I-94 rival. Stout out-rebounded UW-Eau Claire, 49-26, and went on to defeat 16^th-ranked UW-Eau Claire, 68-60, on Wednesday night at Johnson Fieldhouse.

The Blue Devils (13-8, 8-3 WIAC) struggled to get going in the first period, only shooting 2 for 14 from the floor. But some quick fouls from the Blugolds (17-6, 8-4 WIAC) got Stout to the line which kept them close. Eau Claire was able to maintain the lead for most of the game, but Stout kept close, and then exploded in the fourth quarter to jump ahead. The Blue Devils outscored Eau Claire 28-12 in the fourth quarter.

Stout had three double digit scorers, Raegan Sorensen led the way with 19 points, followed by Anna Mutch with 17, and Amanda Giesen with 10. Sorensen also recorded 10 rebounds, six steals, and four assists. Mutch had four assists and seven rebounds as well. Coming up big for Stout again was Alison Murdoch, who pulled down 10 rebounds, seven of which were offensive and led to more opportunities for Stout. Allison Letcher also heated up late and the game, nailing three three-balls to help the Blue Devil's upset. Letcher finished with nine points.
 
Eau Claire was led by Jessie Ruden, who finished with 25 points. Kylie Mogen also added 14 points for the Blugolds.

Stout finished the game shooting 35-percent from the floor (21 for 60) while Eau Claire was 47-percent (26 for 55). Stout had a lot more luck getting to the line and making the free throws, finished 21 for 33 from the line. Eau Claire only shot seven free throws the whole game, making three of them.

Coupled with the Stout men's 94-89 win over Eau Claire, this marks the first time since the 2005-06 season that both the Stout men's and women's teams swept Eau Claire in the same season. 

Stout will now head to UW-Whitewater to face off against the Warhawks. The Blue Devils will be hungry for a win against the top team in the conference, as they lost a close one to the Warhawks in their last meeting. The game is set to tip off at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 12.