MENOMONIE, Wis. – UW-Stout men's basketball turned strong defensive pressure into efficient offense Tuesday night, leading wire-to-wire in an 81–61 WIAC win over UW-River Falls at Johnson Fieldhouse.
The Blue Devils set the tone immediately and never trailed, building separation with disciplined half-court defense, timely steals, and a balanced offensive attack that kept River Falls from finding any sustained rhythm.
Domanyck Schwarzenberger had a career night, pouring in a career-high 21 points while making his mark early. With 10:49 left in the first half, Schwarzenberger attacked the lane aggressively, absorbed contact, and finished an and-one that pushed Stout's lead to 11. The play capped a stretch where the Blue Devils strung together stops and converted on the other end to seize full control of the game.
Stout's defense continued to dictate the flow throughout the first half. Nolan Stauffacher recorded multiple early blocks in the paint, including a rejection just 30 seconds into the game, and the Blue Devils forced River Falls into difficult shots while jumping passing lanes for steals that led to transition opportunities. A late steal by Jackson Wilhelmson with 33 seconds left set up a Collin Vick layup, sending Stout into the locker room with a 37–29 advantage.
The Blue Devils maintained their edge coming out of halftime, responding to every Falcon push with timely baskets. Schwarzenberger knocked down a key three at the 14:09 mark of the second half to stretch the lead, while AJ Uttech consistently finished around the rim off penetration and offensive rebounds.
Down the stretch, Stout turned defense into highlight-reel offense. Over a three-minute span late in the game, the Blue Devils threw down three emphatic dunks that effectively put the game away. Stauffacher slammed home two finishes in the paint, including dunks at the 4:54 and 2:59 marks, while Uttech added a fast-break dunk at 2:23 after a steal created by Carson Leuzinger. Two of the three dunks came directly off Leuzinger assists, punctuating a dominant closing stretch.
Stout shot over 50 percent from the floor for the game and outscored River Falls 44–32 in the second half, turning consistent defensive effort into clean looks and transition chances as the lead ballooned to 20.
By the Numbers
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21 – Career-high points for Domanyck Schwarzenberger
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10 – Career-high points for Nolan Stauffacher
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50.9% – Stout shooting from the field
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27 – Bench points for the Blue Devils
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14 – Team assists on 27 made field goals
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3 – Dunks in a three-minute span late in the second half
Up Next
UW-Stout hits the road for a tough WIAC test, traveling to face No. 17 UW-Eau Claire on Saturday at 5 p.m.
