By Kyle Naber, UWEC Sports Information
MENOMONIE, Wis. (Blugolds.com)- The No. 25 University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's basketball team earned a hard fought 95-91 victory over I-94 rival UW-Stout Wednesday night at the Johnson Fieldhouse in Menomonie.
Eau Claire took no time getting to work against the Blue Devils. The Blugolds quickly built their lead with stellar shooting and high-energy team defense. But as the opening frame came to a close, it was Stout closing the gap. The Blugold lead was up to 11 at one point in the half, but the Blue Devils were able to trim it all the way down to just a point before the buzzer, 42-41.
In the second half, it was a seesaw match. Eau Claire was not able to build their lead back up as Stout continued to match them shot for shot. At the 9:26 mark in the half, Eau Claire was finally able to build a two-possession lead as Sean Miller (Fr. – Waukesha, WI/Kettle Moraine) hit a three-pointer. The Blugolds rode the momentum of the run to re-establish their double-digit lead. However, the Blue Devils were not done just yet.
With 29 seconds remaining in the game, it was Stout's Brett Ahsenmacher converting on a three-pointer to trim the lead down to four points. A layup from Miller and two free throws from George Diekelman (Jr. – Stevens Point, WI/SPASH) would put Eau Claire up by eight with seconds remaining. The Blue Devils' Sam Ortmann would hit two straight three-pointers to trim the lead down to a basket. Diekelman, however, finished it for Eau Claire hitting his last two free throws to secure the win.
It was a massive game for both teams shooting the ball as Eau Claire shot 34-61 (55.7%) compared to Stout, who was 34-52 (65.4%). Both teams were also able to convert on over fifty percent of their three-point attempts.
Diekelman answered the call tonight for the Blugolds pouring in 25 points and added three rebounds. Following him was Miller who continues to impress coming off the bench. Miller was electric from beyond the arc, hitting 4 of 5 on his way to a 16-point night. Deondre Lucas (Sr. – Norcross, GA/Meadowcreek) was also a spark from the bench in a solid 15-point effort. Three other Blugolds scored in double figures; Jared Schneidermann (Sr. - Brooklyn Park, MN/Concordia Academy) and Josh Weix (So.-Eau Claire, WI/North) each added 12 while Jack Martinek (Sr. – New Brighton, WI/Irondale) tallied 11.
The Blugolds (15-5, 5-4 WIAC) return to Zorn on Saturday night as they host UW-Stevens Point at 5:00 p.m. for Alumni Day.
Follow the action on Blugold Game Day.
