Superior, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse men's basketball team opened its 2023-24 season with a 76-68 loss at UW-Superior Friday night in Mertz Mortorelli Gymnasium in the Merrill Thompson Classic. The Yellowjackets improve to 2-0 on the season with Friday's win.

UWL was playing its first game under head coach JT Gritzmacher, who spent the past three seasons as the head coach at Bryant & Stratton College (Wis.). He went 57-30 with the Bobcats, including a single-season school record of 26 wins in 2022-23. 

UWL led by as many as four points in the first half on Friday night, including 12-8, on Austin Westra's three-point play. UWL led, 14-11, when UW-Superior used a 10-3 run to take a 21-17 with 10:36 remaining in the first half on a J'Vaun Walker jumper. The Yellowjackets took a 28-20 lead with 6:21 left on a Joey Barker jumper before the Eagles cut it to 32-28 on a pair of free throws by Sam Grieger with 3:32 remaining.

UW-Superior went on a 8-0 run to extend the lead to 40-28 with 1:15 left in the first half. Khris Green's layup for UWL with :45 remaining cut the halftime deficit to 40-30.

The Yellowjackets took a 52-35 lead with 16:30 remaining on Barker's two free throws but the Eagles went on a 8-0 run to cut the lead to 52-43 with 14:00 left. UW-Superior responded with a 5-0 run of its own to extend it to 57-43 and later led 68-55 with 5:30 remaining. UWL used a 9-1 run to cut the lead to 69-64 with 3:55 left on a pair of Derousseau free throws. Green's jumper with 2:25 left cut it to 71-68, but the Eagles could get no closer the rest of the game and the Yellowjackets scored the final five points of the game. UWL missed its last five shots from the field.

UWL shot 41.5% from the field, including 26.1% (six-of-23) from three-point range, and 66.7% (eight-of-12) at the free throw line. Grieger led the Eagles with 19 points off the bench while grabbing six rebounds. He finished seven-of-14 from the field, including two-of-five from three-point range, and three-of-four at the line. Derousseau finished with 16 points and six rebounds going seven-of-11 from the field (one-of-one) from three-point range, and five-of-seven at the line. Green added 13 points and three rebounds, shooting five-of-10 from the field and three-of-four at the free throw line.

UW-Superior shot 56.0% from the field, including 50.0% (six-of-12) from three-point range, and 63.6% (14-of-22) at the line. Walker led four players in double figures for the Yellowjackets with 18 points while Reid Johnson and Josef Fahrenholtz each scored 17. Barker finished with 16 points and game-high nine rebounds.

UWL returns to action Saturday, November 11 versus Concordia College (Minn.) at 2 p.m. in Superior.