MINNEAPOLIS — The University of Wisconsin-Stout Polytechnic men's basketball team (1-1) used a strong first-half run and a dominant effort in the paint to defeat North Central (Minn.) (1-1), 76-52, Wednesday night at Clark-Danielson Gymnasium.
The Blue Devils took control with a 12-0 run midway through the first half, turning a one-point advantage into a 13-point lead. Stout continued to build its advantage after halftime, finishing with a 40-12 edge in points in the paint and forcing 18 turnovers. The Blue Devils also recorded 14 steals and scored 21 points off turnovers.
AJ Uttech led Stout with 19 points and nine rebounds, while Justin Nelson added 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field.
Stout established an early presence inside, with Wesley Mboga scoring on a tip-in and Uttech adding back-to-back layups for a 6-2 lead. North Central answered with consecutive 3-pointers from Jax Effertz to take an 8-6 advantage. Domanyck Schwarzenberger responded from beyond the arc to put the Blue Devils back in front, 9-8, at 15:11.
After several lead changes, Nelson took over offensively, scoring eight of Stout's next 11 points. His stretch included a dunk off an Uttech assist to give the Blue Devils a 20-17 lead with 9:58 remaining. Following a North Central basket, Stout took control with its 12-0 run. Uttech scored on a tip-in and converted the ensuing free throw before Schwarzenberger and Gavin Johnson connected from 3-point range. Johnson added another 3-pointer to cap the run and give Stout a 32-19 advantage with 6:02 remaining.
North Central briefly slowed the momentum with a 3-pointer, but Johnson answered with another triple. Nelson and Uttech helped Stout close the half strong, with Uttech scoring the final four points to send the Blue Devils into halftime with a 44-26 lead.
Stout carried its momentum into the second half. Uttech opened the scoring with a steal and layup, and Aiden Johnson added a second-chance tip-in to extend the lead to 49-28. After another Effertz 3-pointer, Schwarzenberger and Vick answered with consecutive triples. Uttech added a layup and free throw as the Blue Devils pushed their advantage to 58-33.
Stout continued to control the game on both ends of the floor. Aiden Johnson converted another second-chance opportunity with a tip-in and free throw, Nelson threw down a dunk off a Johnson assist, and Vick finished a layup off a Nolan Stauffacher assist to extend the lead to 66-40.
North Central made several late 3-pointers, but Stout maintained a comfortable advantage. Jaxen Holmlund went 4-for-4 at the free-throw line in the final 4:19, and Cullen Jacobus added a layup with 44 seconds remaining to seal the 76-52 victory.
Top Performers
AJ Uttech
- 19 points
- 8-of-17 from the field
- 9 rebounds
- 3 steals
Justin Nelson
- 15 points
- 6-of-7 from the field
Collin Vick
- 9 points
- 5 steals
- 5 rebounds
Gavin Johnson
- 9 points
- 3-of-5 from 3-point range
- 2 steals
Nolan Stauffacher
UP NEXT
Stout travels to Kenosha, Wis., to face Carthage College on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 2 p.m. at Tarble Arena.
