UW-La Crosse 75, UW-Superior 63

Superior, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse men's basketball team earned a 75-63 victory at UW-Superior Saturday afternoon at Mertz Mortorelli Gymnasium. The Eagles improve to 12-10 overall and 7-6 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) while the Yellowjackets fall to 11-10 overall and 3-9 in the conference.

Tony Mane and Jordan Rumpel helped lead UW-L to the win Saturday, combining for 54 points. Mane led all scorers with 37 points, finishing 14-of-21 from the field, including four-of-eight from three-point range, while hitting all five of his free throw attempts. He also had five rebounds and three steals.

Rumpel scored 17 points and grabbed four rebounds. He was eight-of-13 from the field, including one-of-one from three-point range. 

The contest was tied 19-19 with 8:45 left in the first half, the fourth tie in the opening 20 minutes, when UW-L went on a 7-0 run. The Yellowjackets later cut the lead to 28-23 with 5:26 remaining in the first half when the Eagles scored the next six points (five coming from Mane) to lead 34-23. UW-L led 39-31 at halftime. 

UW-Superior cut the lead to 47-42 with 14:17 left in the game, but UW-L used a 8-2 run to lead 55-44 afte a Jeff Heiden jumper. The Yellowjackets cut the lead to four points two different times in the final 7:05, including 57-53 with 4:31 remaining. The Eagles 62-56 with 2:17 left and outscored the Yellowjackets 13-6 the rest of the game. Mane scored nine of UW-L's final 13 points. 

UW-L shot 53.4% from the field, including 31.3% (five-of-16) from three-point range, and 61.5% (eight-of-13) at the free throw line. Cory Degner added six points, six rebounds and five assists for the Eagles.

Dan Culy led UW-Superior with 16 points while Jake Smith added 13 and Ben Aalfs 11. Smith became the school's career leader in scoring Saturday and now has 1,794. 

The Yellowjackets shot 38.7% from the field, including 32.0% (eight-of-25) from three-point range, and made all seven of their free throw attempts.

UW-L returns to action Wednesday, February 9 at UW-Oshkosh starting at 7:05 p.m.