LA CROSSE, Wis. — Late Rally Falls Short as Blue Devils Battle No. 18 Eagles in WIAC Quarterfinal
UW-Stout erased a 22-point second-half deficit and cut the margin to two in the final five minutes, but No. 18 UW-La Crosse held off the furious charge to claim an 87-83 win in the first round of the WIAC Tournament Monday night at Mitchell Hall.
The Blue Devils finish the season 9-17 overall after returning to the conference tournament under first-year head coach Tom Webb, one year removed from missing the postseason.
Stout had multiple chances in the final minute, including a three in the closing seconds, but La Crosse (20-6) converted late free throws to seal it.
First Half: Eagles Catch Fire Early
La Crosse set the tone from the opening possession. Jacob Butler drilled a three-pointer just 17 seconds in, and Jack Crowley followed with another triple at 19:20 to give the Eagles a quick 6-0 lead.
After Aidan Shore got Stout on the board with a jumper at 18:52, Collin Vick knocked down a three at 16:43 to tie the game 6-6. Domanyck Schwarzenberger buried a transition three at 14:23 to even the score again at 12-12, and AJ Uttech answered another Crowley triple with one of his own at 13:56 as the Blue Devils matched La Crosse shot for shot.
But the Eagles' perimeter shooting proved decisive in the opening 20 minutes. La Crosse shot 11-of-19 (57.9%) from three in the first half, with Crowley knocking down four triples before the break.
A Carson Bauer three at 8:31 extended the lead to 34-20, capping a 19-8 stretch. JJ Paider scored twice in the final minute — including a layup with two seconds left — to send the Eagles into halftime with a 49-34 advantage.
Second Half: Schwarzenberger's Career Night Sparks Comeback
La Crosse pushed the lead to 60-38 after Sam Grieger converted a pair of free throws at 16:32, marking the largest margin of the night at 22.
From there, the Blue Devils began to chip away — and it started on the defensive end. At 15:52, Schwarzenberger came up with a steal and dished ahead to Nolan Stauffacher for a fastbreak layup to make it 60-40. Moments later, Schwarzenberger found his rhythm from deep. He drilled a three at 14:20 to cut the deficit to 17, then knocked down another triple at 10:40 after a free throw to bring Stout within single digits at 65-56.
After Mason Stoik buried a three at 8:31 to make it 70-59, Wesley Mboga followed with a three-pointer at 7:28 off an Uttech assist to trim the margin to eight. Stout continued to attack the paint. Uttech scored on back-to-back possessions at 6:16 and 5:38 to pull the Blue Devils within six at 72-66.
Next came the biggest shot of the night. With 4:25 remaining, Schwarzenberger rose up from beyond the arc and buried his sixth three-pointer of the game to cut the lead to 74-72, capping a 34-14 Stout run that turned a 22-point deficit into a two-point game.
After La Crosse answered at the line, Shore knocked down two free throws at 3:39 to make it 76-74. Uttech converted inside at 3:11 to keep it a one-possession game at 78-76. But each time Stout threatened, the Eagles responded. Butler hit a critical three at 2:49 to push the lead to five, and Paider went 4-for-4 at the line in the final 2:05. Mboga's tip-in with 1:11 left cut it to 83-80, and Stout forced a turnover at 0:50 to regain possession. However, a turnover at 0:22 led to a Paider fastbreak dunk and free throws to extend the lead. Schwarzenberger knocked down a three with three seconds remaining to cap his career-high night, but the comeback bid ran out of time.
By the Numbers
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29 – Career-high points for Domanyck Schwarzenberger, who shot 7-of-15 from the field, 6-of-12 from three, and 9-of-10 at the free-throw line.
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6 – Three-pointers by Schwarzenberger, tying his season high and keeping Stout within striking distance all night.
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49 – Second-half points for Stout, shooting 47.2% after the break.
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11 – First-half three-pointers for La Crosse, the difference in the four-point final margin.
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32-20 – Stout advantage in second-chance points, fueled by 21 offensive rebounds and 46 total boards.
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15 – Points from JJ Paider over the final 20 minutes as he finished with 19.
Season Reflection
The loss concludes the Blue Devils' season, but the foundation under first-year head coach Tom Webb was evident. After missing the WIAC Tournament last year, Stout battled its way back into postseason play and pushed a nationally ranked opponent to the brink on the road.
Behind performances like Schwarzenberger's career night and a relentless second-half comeback, the Blue Devils showed the fight and progress that the team can look forward to building upon next season.
