MENOMONIE, Wis. — UW-Stout nearly erased a 25-point second-half deficit, but the Blue Devils' furious late push came up just short in an 81–77 loss to Augsburg University on Friday night at Johnson Fieldhouse.
Augsburg opened the game scorching hot, racing out to a 13–2 lead in the first three minutes and maintaining control for most of the first half. Stout repeatedly countered with small runs, but each time the Auggies had an answer, carrying a 41–35 lead into the locker room.
The Auggies again came out blazing to start the second half, using another burst to push the margin to 25. That's when the Blue Devils flipped the energy of the building and began mounting one of their best rallies of the season.
Freshman Wesley Mboga spearheaded the comeback with a career-high 15 points, delivering clutch bucket after clutch bucket during Stout's late surge. With 3:45 remaining, Mboga attacked the lane and converted a tough, high-contact "and-one" to pull Stout within eight. Two minutes later, he soared in for a huge put-back lay up to trim the deficit to six. He wasn't done—Mboga drilled a deep three with 45 seconds left, cutting Augsburg's lead to just five and electrifying the Johnson Fieldhouse crowd.
Tyrel Creger poured in a team-high 23 points, burying multiple big threes to fuel the rally, and Domanyck Schwarzenberger added three huge triples of his own—including one in the final seconds to make it a four-point game.
Collin Vick anchored the interior with a complete performance, posting nine rebounds and eight assists while providing steady scoring and poise during key stretches when Stout needed answers.
Despite the late push, Augsburg converted key free throws in the final seconds to hold off the comeback and escape Menomonie with the win.
BY THE NUMBERS
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23 – Points for Tyrel Creger, including five threes.
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15 – Career-high points for freshman Wesley Mboga, who was pivotal during the comeback.
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8 – Assists from Collin Vick, who also pulled down nine rebounds.
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13 – Made threes for Stout, sparking multiple scoring bursts.
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25 – Largest Augsburg lead before Stout stormed back to make it a one-possession game in the final seconds.
UP NEXT
The Blue Devils are back at Johnson Fieldhouse on Wednesday at 7 p.m., hosting North Central (Minn.).
