WINONA, Minn. – The UW-Stout men's basketball team erased a 19-point second-half deficit to pull within two points late, but Saint Mary's (Minn.) held on for a 73-67 non-conference victory Saturday afternoon at David R. Thies Arena.
The Blue Devils (4-6) trailed 58-39 midway through the second half before mounting a furious comeback. Stout outscored the Cardinals 28-15 over the final 12 minutes, including a 10-2 run capped by a
Gavin Johnson 3-pointer that made it 70-67 with 38 seconds remaining. However, Stout couldn't capitalize on an SMU turnover and Saint Mary's sealed the win at the free-throw line.
Mason Stoik led Stout with 14 points on 4-of-17 shooting, including 4-of-13 from beyond the arc.
Justin Nelson added 13 points and eight rebounds, while Johnson contributed 12 points off the bench, going 5-of-7 from the field with three steals.
AJ Uttech and
Wesley Mboga chipped in six and eight points, respectively, with Mboga grabbing nine rebounds.
As a team, Stout shot 26-of-77 (33.8 percent) from the field and 7-of-40 (17.5 percent) from three, but dominated the glass with a 45-38 rebounding edge, including 20 offensive boards that led to 17 second-chance points. The Blue Devils also forced 14 Cardinal turnovers, converting them into nine points.
Saint Mary's (1-10) was paced by Reid Weckwerth's 17 points, including three 3-pointers, while Khai Branham and John Palmer each scored 15. Jackson Harvey notched a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds. The Cardinals shot efficiently at 21-of-46 (45.7 percent) overall and 10-of-24 (41.7 percent) from deep, and went 21-of-27 (77.8 percent) at the line.
Stout returns to action after the holiday break, traveling to Oshkosh, Wis. To face Lawrence University on Monday, Dec. 29 at the Oshkosh Arena
