La Crosse, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse men's basketball team, ranked 10th on this week's D3hoops.com Top-25 Poll, started the second half of Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) play with a 90-53 victory over UW-Stout Wednesday night in Mitchell Hall.
 
The Eagles, winners of six straight games, improve to 16-3 overall and 7-1 in the WIAC while the Blue Devils drop to 7-12 overall and 3-5 in the conference. With the win, UWL remains in a first-place tie with UW-Platteville in the WIAC. 

 

UWL has now won 14 of the last 17 meetings with UW-Stout, including an 84-77 earlier this season in Menomonie.
 
UW-Stout took a 11-9 lead with 14:22 left in the first half Wednesday on a Jacob Walczak jumper, but Karter Thomas' three-pointer gave UWL a 12-11 advantage. The Eagles would never trail the rest of the game.
 
The Blue Devils cut the deficit to 14-13 with 12:46 remaining on a Colin Hudson layup, but the Eagles used a 15-2 run to make it 29-15 with 9:05 left on a Will Fuhrmann three-pointer. Dustin Derousseau had seven points in the run. UW-Stout cut it to 29-17, but a JJ Paider layup, three-point play by Fuhrmann, layup from Torin Hannah and two free throws by Khris Green gave UWL a 38-17 lead.
 
UWL took its largest lead of the first half on a Thomas three-pointer with :32 remaining to made it 45-22 at halftime.
 
Four points from Sam Grieger and two from Fuhrmann gave UWL a 51-22 lead to start the second half. UW-Stout could get no closer than 24 points the rest of the game as UWL led by as many as 40.
 

UWL shot 46.1% from the field Wednesday, including 37.5% (nine-of-24) from three-point range, and 68.8% (11-of-16) at the free throw line.
 
All five starters scored in double figures for the Eagles with Paider leading with 16 points and nine rebounds. Thomas finished with 14 points while Grieger totaled 13, Fuhrmann 11 and Derousseau 10. Derousseau had a team-high four assists while Grieger and Fuhrmann each finished with three. Grieger had three blocks.
 
Eleven different players scored for UWL. The Eagles recorded 19 assists in the game while committing seven turnovers.
 
UW-Stout shot 35.6% from the field, including 30.0% (six-of-20) from three-point range, and 45.5% (five-of-11) at the line. 

 
Walczak led the Blue Devils with 19 points while Hudson finished with 10. Collin Vick had a team-high six rebounds and six assists.
 
UWL returns to action Wednesday, February 5 at fourth-ranked UW-Platteville at 7 p.m.


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