Box Score Superior, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse men's basketball team earned a 62-59 victory at UW-Superior Saturday afternoon in Mertz Mortorelli Gymnasium.  The Eagles improve to 7-7 overall and 2-3 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) while the Yellowjackets drop to 7-8 overall and 1-5 in the conference.  It is UW-L's ninth straight win over UW-Superior.

The game was tied nine times in the first half, including 23-23 at halftime.  UW-L led by as many as four points in the first half while UW-Superior led by as many as three.

UW-L led 37-33 with 12:06 remaining in the game after a Cale Zuiker three-point field goal, but UW-Superior went on a 6-2 run to force a 39-39 tie with 9:13 left.  The Eagles scored the game's next eight points to take a 47-39 advantage with 6:42 remaining.  UW-L would never trail again.

UW-Superior cut the lead to 55-53 with 2:42 left on a Caleb Burch three-pointer, but Jared Staege's layup gave UW-L a 57-53 lead with 2:23 remaining.  After a pair of missed layups by the Yellowjackets, Zuiker connected on a pair of free throws with 1:56 left to make it 59-53.  Zach Schradle scored four straight points for UW-Superior to make it 59-57, including two free throws with 1:37 left and a layup with :55 remaining.

Zuiker hit one-of-two at the line to give UW-L a 60-57 lead with :37 remaining and Brian Lindblom's layup with :16 left made it 60-59.  Johnny Coenen made two free throws with :15 remaining for a 62-59 lead and Johnquez Brooks missed a potential game-tying three-pointer with :10 left.

UW-L shot 42.0% from the field, including 23.1% (three-of-13) from three-point range, and 77.3% (17-of-22) at the free throw line. Staege led the Eagles with a career-high 20 points, finishing eight-of-13 from the field and four-of-five at the line.  He also had six rebounds.  Trent Schmidt totaled 15 points, six assists and three steals. He was five-of-eight from the field, including one-of-two from three-point range, and four-of-five at the free throw line.  Zuiker had 14 points and team-high seven rebounds.

UW-Superior shot 42.3% from the field, including 31.8% (seven-of-22) from three-point range, and 72.7% (eight-of-11) at the line. Schradle led the Yellowjackets with 14 points while Lindblom finished with 12 and Brooks 10.  Lindblom finished with a team-high six rebounds.

UW-L returns to action Wednesday, January 14 at 19th-ranked UW-Stevens Point at 7 p.m.