Blue Devil Football

November 3, 1997

PLATTEVILLE PROVIDES A HURDLE TO SECOND PLACE IN LEAGUE

UW-Platteville Pioneers (1-8, 0-6) at UW-Stout Blue Devils (4-3, 3-2)
Saturday, November 8, 1 p.m.
Nelson Field, Menomonie, Wis.

LAST WEEK: Stout: Nolan Mosher (So, Janesville) kicked a 28-yard field goal with 20 seconds remaining in regulation to tie the game at 22-22 with UW-Stevens Point, then booted the game winner - a 22-yarder - in overtime for a 25-22 win, the first win over Point since 1990 and the first win at Stevens Point since 1971. Matt Bunyan (Jr, Janesville) completed 30-of-59 passes for 364 yards, with Jim PIllars (So, Chicago, Ill) pulling down 12 catches for 166 yards and a TD. Point took a 15-0 lead, but the Blue Devils didn't lead until early in the fourth quarter when Shawn Lund (So, Ashland) scored from 1-yard out. Point took another lead, but Mosher's field goal knotted the score. Stout tallied 487 yards, 364 passing, 157 rushing. Stout held the Pointers to 201 total yards, 116 passing and 85 rushing.

Platteville: The Pioneers experienced deja' vu when they lost 27-24 to UW-Oshkosh Saturday. The Pioneers looked to be on the road to their first conference win, but Oshkosh scored with 15 seconds remaining, very similar to the win in 1996. Platteville took the lead late in the game when quarterback Forrest Paul (Sr, Edgar) ran a quarterback sneak on fourth down on the Pioneers own 32. Ten plays later, Platteville broke the tie on a field goal. Chad Nate (So, Cato) ran for 132 yards, while Paul picked up 128 yard on 22 carries. The Pioneers racked up 404 total yards, 320 on the ground, 84 through the air. Oshkosh totalled 441 yards, 320 passing, 121 rushing.

LAST YEAR: Both Stout and Platteville play in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) and are affiliated with the NCAA Division III. Stout was 4-6 overall, 1-6 in the conference last season and finished seventh. Platteville was 1-9, 0-7 in the league.

THE SERIES: The Pioneers lead the series, 26-13-1, which began in 1935 with a 25-7 Platteville win. The Blue Devils won a nail-biter last year, 31-27, but needed a 50-yard TD pass from Matt Bunyan to Scott Wojcik with 1:14 remaining to take home the Blue Devils' only conference win. The teams have split their last six meetings.

STOUT PLAYERS TO WATCH:
QB Matt Bunyan (#19, 6-6, 230, Jr, Janesville) 313-171-6, 2532 yds (316.5/game), 25 TDs, ranked fourth nationally in total offense last week (306.7 yd/g, now 316.7 yd/g)
WR Scott Wojcik (#18, 6-3, 210, Sr, Marshfield) 50 rec, 862 yds, 17.2 yd/rec, 7 TDs, ranked 26th nationally in rec/game (6.4 rec/g, now 6.3/g)
WR Jimmy Pillars (#80, 6-5, 220, So Chicago, Ill) 34 rec, 546 yds, 6 TDs
FB Ryan Patt (#42, 6-2, 210, So, North Fond du Lac) 448 yards, 103 carries, 4.3 yd/car
TB Shawn Lund (#20, 6-0, 220, So, Ashland) 351 yd, 84 carries, 4.2 yd/car
CB Corey Morning (#23, 5-11, 180, Jr, Bloomer) 61 tackles, 40 solo, 1 pass broken up, 1 fumble recovery
LB Sam Standard (#1, 6-1, 220, Indianapolis, Ind) 58 tackles, 26 solo, 11 tackles-for-losses of 54 yds, 2 sacks for 18 yds, 3 fumble recoveries
Blue Devils avg 437.5 total ypg, 111.8 rushing, 325.8 passing (were 4th nationally, 320.3); give up 350.9 total ypg, 196.5 rushing, 154.4 passing.

PLATTEVILLE PLAYERS TO WATCH:
QB Forrest Paul (#6, 6-2, 200, Sr, Edgar) 165-86-11, 982 yds (109.1/g), 127 carries, 373 yds
RB Adam Grossen (#24, 5-10, 205, Sr, Argyle) 95 car, 495 yds, 5.2 yd/car, 7 TD
WR John Weaver (#80, 6-0, 183, So, Darlington) 38 rec, 464 yds, 12.2 yd/rec
WB Eric Newton (#44, 6-0, 180, Sr, Geneseo, Ill) 25 rec, 318 yds, 12.7 yd/rec
DB Brian Childs (6-1, 185, So, Mineral, Ill) 66 tackles, 44 solo, 5 passes broken up
LB Tim Duffy (#49, 6-3, 235, So, Beloit) 48 tackles, 26 solo, 6 tackles-for-losses of 21 yards, 4 sacks for 42 yds
DL Clark Peplinski (#99, 6-3, 230, Sr, Big Bend) 42 tackles, 31 solo, 10 tackles-for-losses of 39 yds, 2.5 sacks for 35 yds
Pioneers avg: 315.7 total yds, 115 passing, 200 rushing; give up 446.4 ypg, 235 passing, 212 rushing.

OFFENSIVE LOOK: Pioneers: Wing-T Stout: multi-pro set which incorporates a West Coast style offense.

DEFENSIVE LOOK: Pioneers: 4-3Stout: 4-3

COACHES: Stout's Ed Meierkort (18-30 career) is in his fifth year, while Platteville's Jim Kinder (15-34) is also in his fifth year.

STOUT COACH ED MEIERKORT SAYS: "I think our kids have stepped over the mountaintop. People have second guessed these kids all season. People thought maybe the La Crosse win or the River Falls win was a fluke, but here, we go on the road to beat another nationally ranked team. Mentally, we finally got the monkey off our backs. We got ourselves into a problem early, but give credit to the kids, they are resilient. Now, we are in the top two or three teams in this league. We have never had a kicker like Nolan Mosher. Every time we have called on Nolan in the clutch, he has delivered. It's comforting for the offense to know if we don't score (a touchdown), we have a chance for a field goal.

"We still have two games that are important. I expect this game with Platteville to be a real physical game. They have a mindset that they can beat us. We will have to play well to beat them. They rushed for 300 yards last week. If we play well defensively, the offense will have a good day. We are not at a point in our program where we can ignore a team. We respect every team that we have on our schedule. This game is enormous for us. It gives us a chance to get five wins in the conference. (Stout has not had five conference wins since 1982)"

November 1, 1997

DEFENSIVE EFFORT KEYS STOUT WIN OVER POINTERS

MENOMONIE All week long, UW-Stout football coach Ed Meierkort has been saying that UW-Stevens Point possesses the best defensive team in the conference.

That still may be true, but it was the Blue Devils' defense that made the difference late in the game to give Stout a 25-22 overtime win over the Pointers at Stevens Point Saturday, Nov. 1.

With the Pointers up 22-19 late in the fourth quarter, Mike Olson (Sr, Farmington, Minn) sacked Pointer quarterback Ryan Aulenbacher for an eight-yard loss on third down.

The Blue Devils (5-3, 4-2) took the ensuing punt 63 yards in nine plays to set up Nolan Mosher's (So, Janesville) 28-yard field goal to tie the game at 22 all with 20 seconds remaining.

The Pointers (6-3, 3-3) had only one gasp in regulation and Stout's Eric Aamodt (So, Menomonie) stepped in front of an Aulenbacher pass to snuff out any Pointer hope.

The Blue Devils won the coin toss to start regulation, giving Stevens Point the ball first on the 25, but the Pointers could only go backwards. On first down,Olson and Andy Wickstrom (Sr, Menomonie) stuck running back Todd Goodman for a two yard loss, then forced two straight incompletions. Fred Galecke's 44 yard field goal attempt fell well short.

Stout wasted no time with their possession. Ryan Patt (So, North Fond du Lac) rushed for five yards, then quarterback Matt Bunyan (Jr, Janesville) hit his favorite target of the day, Jim Pillars (So, Chicago, Ill) for a 10-yard pickup.

Patt picked up five yards, then was stopped on second down. Meierkort elected to go for the field goal on third down, and Mosher nailed the kick from 22 yards out to give Stout their first win over the Pointers since 1990.

But more importantly, the win gives Stout a chance to for second place in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) and even an opportunity for a first time ever NCAA Division III playoff berth.

If the Blue Devils defeat UW-Platteville Saturday, Nov. 8, and UW-Whitewater downs UW-LaCrosse, Stout would tie for second with the Eagles, but the Blue Devils defeated the Eagles earlier in the season.

Stout spotted the Pointers a 15-0 lead, and the Pointers started it off the easy way.

On Stout's first drive, the Pointers Aaron Evans picked off a Bunyan pass and returned it to the Stout 8. Three plays later, the Pointers led 7-0.

The Pointers went the sustained drive method to finish up the quarter, and then capped off a 15-play, 75-yard drive with an Aulenbacher one yard plunge. It looked like everything would go right for the Pointers and everything wrong for the Devils when on the botched extra point attempt, holder Tim Erickson found Wade Ullsperger all alone in end zone for two points.

Stout finally got on the board late, very late, in the second quarter, driving 63 yards in nine plays in one minute, 15 seconds when Bunyan hit Pillars with no time left on the clock.

The momentum swung Stout's direction and stayed there into the second half. On the Pointers first drive, Bill Berg (Jr, Washburn) forced a Goodman fumble and Don Hagenbart (Sr, Dousman) recovered on the Pointers' 37.

Bunyan scored from 11 yards out, but the drive was keyed by a 21-yard Bunyan to Pillars connection. The two-point conversion failed and Stout trailed 15-13.

Stout took the lead early in the fourth quarter when Shawn Lund (So, Ashland) bulled over from the 1, but again the two-point conversion failed.

The Pointers took the lead on their next drive, going 51 yards in 12 plays when Stan Strama scored from five yards out.

Neither team had a scoring opportunity until Stout knotted the score on Mosher's field goal.

Bunyan put together another huge day, completing 30-of-59 attempts for 364 yards on one TD. He was picked off twice. Pillars pulled in 12 passes for 166 yards and one TD. Scott Wojcik (Sr, Marshfield) had five catches for 97 yards, while Patt reeled in eight catches for 50 yards.

How good was the Stout defense? The Blue Devils held the Pointers to 85 yards rushing and 116 passing for a total of 201 yards, while Stout racked up 437 total yards.

The win was the first Stout win over the Pointers at Stevens Point since 1971. It also gave Stout its first five win season since 1991, and gives them an opportunity for their first true six win season since 1982. (Stout had six wins in 1987, but one was a forfeit win over Stevens Point).

The Blue Devils host Platteville Saturday at 1 p.m. at Nelson Field. The game gives Stout the opportunity to put together their first three game winning streak since 1982.

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Blue Devil Volleyball

November 1, 1997

JENNY KRACZEK NAMED TO ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

RIVER FALLSJenny Kraczek (So, Blaine, Minn) tallied 184 assists in four games and was named to the all-tournament team at UW-River Falls Volleyball Tournament.

The Blue Devils split their four games, including a second day, 15-11, 15-10, 15-11, opening loss to Bemidji State, then bounced back to down Hamline University, 15-4, 15-6, 16-14, in the second game.

Kraczek tallied 54 assists in Stout's loss to Bemidji, then returned with 42 assists in the win over Hamline.

Monica Cyrus (Jr, Farmington, Minn) notched 18 kills and 13 digs in the loss to Bemidji, while Tori Feit (So, Rushmore, Minn) had 15 kills against Hamline. Cyrus added 13 kills.

During the Bemidji match, Stacy Stoddard (Jr, St. Paul, Minn) recorded 14 kills and in the process broke the single season record for most kills, topping Alissa Proshek's 1993 record of 423. Stoddard now has 434 kills this season.

Stout (17-13) is off until Friday, Nov. 7 when they close their season at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships at Stevens Point. The Blue Devils will face UW-Whitewater.

October 31, 1997

VOLLEYBALL TEAM SPLITS IN FIRST DAY OF RIVER FALLS TOURNEY

RIVER FALLS - Despite a combined 29 kills from Stacy Stoddard (Jr, St. Paul, Minn) and 24 from Monica Cyrus (Jr, Farmington, Minn), the UW-Stout volleyball team managed only a split in their first day of competition at the UW-River Falls Inviational Friday, Oct. 31.

Stoddard pounded out 16 kills and Cyrus 14 as the Blue Devils swept Gustavus Adolphus, 15-11, 15-8, 15-2, in the first round. Jenny Kraczek (So, Blaine, Minn) recorded 49 assists. Heather Cassell (Fr, Lake Geneva) notched 12 kills.

Stoddard led the way in the Blue Devils' second round 16-14, 15-6, 15-10, loss to Concordia-Moorhead with 13 kills. Cyrus had 10 kills.

October 28, 1997

BLUE DEVILS FINISH OFF ST. KATE'S IN LESS THAN AN HOUR

MENOMONIE - UW-Stout's Stacy Stoddard (Jr, St. Paul, Minn) led a Blue Devil attack that lasted less than 57 minutes, but was very effective in dispatching the College of St. Catherine in three games Tuesday, Oct. 28 at Johnson Fieldhouse.

Stoddard slammed down 18 kills as the Blue Devils ran their overall record to 15-11, winning 15-6, 15-12, 15-8. Monica Cyrus (Jr, Farmington, Minn) had 11 kills and 19 digs. Jenny Kraczek (So, Blaine, Minn) finished the night with 39 assists. Heather Cassell (Fr, Lake Geneva) added eight kills. As a team, Stout hit .438, while Stoddard hit .600 and Cyrus hit .500.

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Blue Devil Soccer

October 31, 1997

BLUGOLDS END BLUE DEVIL SOCCER SEASON

PLATTEVILLE - There were no treats for the UW-Stout soccer team Friday, Oct. 31 as UW-Eau Claire downed the Blue Devils, 4-1, to end Stout's season in the first round of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships at Platteville.

The Blugolds jumped out to quick 1-0 lead only four minutes into the game, then added a goal just before half and another just into the second half.

Stout (9-9, 3-5) managed only one goal, that by leading scorer Alyssa Halverson (Jr, Rochester, Minn) 18 minutes into the second half.

The Blugolds' Emily Mabbitt scored her second goal of the day with seven minutes remaining to close out the scoring.

Eau Claire's defense held Stout to only seven shots, while the Blugold offense went wild with 22 shots. Stout's Nikki Bezak (So, Coon Rapids, Minn) recorded 13 saves.

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Blue Devil Men's Cross Country

November 1, 1997

GILLES EARNS SECOND TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS

WEST SALEM- Paul Gilles (Jr, Plum City) placed 15th at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) cross country championships in West Salem and earned second team all-conference honors, Saturday, Nov. 1.

Gilles recorded a time of 25:57. Teammate Jason Petersohn (Sr, Manitowoc) placed 25th (26:13), Eric Hanson (So, Winona, Minn) 34th (26:32), Josh Johnson (Fr, Oregon) 47th (26:55), Tim Hamill (Jr, Brookfield) 59th (27:14), and Chad Pallansch (Sr, Sartell, Minn) 62nd (27:20).

As a team, Stout finished sixth with 153 points. UW-Stevens Point won the meet with 45 points.

The Blue Devils will be off until Nov. 15 when they head to Oshkosh for the NCAA Division III Regionals.

WIAC Men's Cross Country Championships

1. Stevens Point 45; 2. La Crosse 57; 3. Whitewater 80; 4. Oshkosh 99; 5. Eau Claire 127; 6. Stout 153; 7. Platteville 201; 8. Superior 235; 9. River Falls 264

WIAC Individual Results
(First place, all Stout finishers)

1. Brad Wilson (LX) 25:10; 15. Paul Gilles 25:57; 25. Jason Petersohn 26:13; 34. Eric Hanson 26:32; 47. Josh Johnson 26:55; 59. Tim Hamill 27:14; 62. Chad Pallansch 27:20; 64. Ryan Hill 27:23; 67. Chris Hill 27:32; 72. Bryan Ott 27:41; 81. Josh Webb 28:05; 82. Brad Chartrand 28:09; 83. Jamie Block 28:09

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Blue Devil Women's Cross Country

November 1, 1997

STOUT TIES FOR THIRD, JACOBSON & OLSEN FINISH IN TOP FIVE

WEST SALEM - Katy Olsen (Jr, Rice Lake) and Katie Jacobson (Jr, Eau Claire) finished fourth and fifth, respectively, at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference cross country championships in West Salem Saturday, Nov. 1, and powered UW-Stout to a tie for third place, Stout's best finish ever.

In the process, Olsen again snapped her school record, recording a time of 18:29, to break the mark by one second. Jacobson was right on Olsen's heels, clocking a time of 18:32.

Jennifer Wucherer (So, Edgar) placed 20th (19:05), Nicole Ernster (Jr, Rochester, Minn) was 37th (19:56),Melissa Schreiner (Sr, New Richmond) 38th (19:57), Jennifer Bahr (So, Forest Lake, Minn) 45th (20:18), Katie Kuffel (So, Minneapolis, Minn) 46th (20:21) and Dana Piper (So, Ladysmith) 51st (20:26).

Olsen and Jacobson earned first team all-conference honors, while Wucherer earned her way to the second team.

UW-Oshkosh easily won the meet with 38 points. UW-Eau Claire was second with 88 and LaCrosse tied with Stout with 93 points.

The Blue Devils will be off until Nov. 15 when they head to Oshkosh for the NCAA Division III Regionals.

WIAC Women's Cross Country Championships

1. Oshkosh 38; 2. Eau Claire 88; 3. Stout, La Crosse 93; 5. Whitewater 138; 6. Stevens Point 151; 7. Superior 175; 8. Platteville 194; 9. River Falls 260

WIAC Individual Results
(First place, all Stout finishers)

1. Tiffany Speckman (Osh) 18:01; 4. Katy Olsen 18:29; 5. Katie Jacobson 18:32; 20. Jennifer Wucherer 19:05; 37. Nicole Ernster 19:56; 38. Melissa Schreiner 19:57; 44. Jennifer Bahr 20:18; 45. Katie Kuffel 20:21; 51. Dana Piper 20:26; 59. Robin White 20:31; 68. Joylyn Jans 21:00; 88. Jessica Schultz 22:30

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Blue Devil Tennis

November 1, 1997

AMY JAMIESON/LAUREN MADER WIN WIAC DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP

MADISON- Amy Jamieson (Sr, Dayton, Minn) and Lauren Mader (So, Neenah) became the first ever UW-Stout women's tennis players to win the conference No. 1 doubles title, and the pair did it in style Saturday, Nov. 1 in Madison at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships.

Given the top seed, the pair struggled in their first set, downing Laura Petzold and Amy Oswald of UW-Stevens Point, 7-5, then cruised the rest of the way to the championship, zapping the Point duo, 6-1, to take the match.

Jamieson and Mader then faced Coralie Lockner and Jenny Johnson of UW-Eau Claire, a team they lost to earlier in the season, with the Stout pair taking the first set 6-1 and the championship, 6-3.

The other Stout teams didn't fare as well, with the No. 2 team of Carrie Kish (Sr, Anoka, Minn) and Ann Jackson (So, Eau Claire) finishing fifth. They lost their first round match to Whitewater, 6-2, 6-3, then received a bye and downed a River Falls team, 6-1, 6-1, for fifth.

Stout's No. 3 team of Jessica Pfeiffer (Sr, Woodbury, Minn) and Shannon Seppela (So, Maplewood, Minn) lost their first match, drew a bye, then fell in the fifth place match to Whitewater.

Stout placed fourth in the final standings and fourth in the conference tournament. Eau Claire won the title.

Final Standings

1. UW-Eau Claire, 6.5 regular season pts, 14 tournament points, 20.5 total points; 2. tie, UW-LaCrosse, 6.5, 10, 16.5 and UW-Oshkosh, 4.5, 12, 16.5; 4. UW-Stout, 4.5, 8, 12.5; 5. UW-Whitewater, 3,6,9; 6. UW-Stevens Point, 2,4,6; 7. UW-River Falls 1, 2, 3.

Conference Tournament Standings

1. Eau Claire 61; 2. Oshkosh 50; 3. La Crosse 40; 4. Stout 37; 5. Whitewater 35; 6. Stevens Point 24; 7. River Falls 14

Regular Season Duals

1. Eau Claire, La Crosse 5-1; 3. Stout, Oshkosh 4-2; 5. Whitewater 2-4; 6. Stevens Point 1-6; 7. River Falls 0-6.

October 31, 1997

JAMIESON, MADER FINISH AS CONFERENCE SINGLES RUNNER-UP

MADISON - UW-Stout's Amy Jamieson (Sr, Dayton, Minn) and Lauren Mader (So, Neenah) finished as runner-up in their respective singles divisions at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Tennis Championships Friday, Oct. 31 in Madison.

Jamieson finished second at No. 1 singles for the second consecutive year, dropping the championship match, 6-3, 6-2, to UW-Eau Claire's Molly Cope. Jamieson, the No. 2 seed to Cope's No. 1, breezed to the championship round, recording identical 6-1, 6-0, wins over Christine Kraft of UW-River Falls and Tania Fischer of UW-La Crosse.

Jamieson finished her prestigious Stout singles career with a 16-5 singles record for this year and 44-19 for her career, a Stout best.

Mader, seeded second at No. 2 singles, downed Renee Schuetzle of River Falls, 6-0, 6-0, then fought off Tricia Strachota of Whitewater, 6-4, 6-3. Mader fell 6-2, 6-2, to Coralie Lockner of Eau Claire, last season's No. 1 singles champion.

Stout's Carrie Kish (Sr, Anoka, Minn) was fourth at No. 3 singles, Ann Jackson (So, Eau Claire) failed to win a match at No. 4, Jessica Pfeiffer (Sr, Woodbury, Minn) was fourth at No. 5 and Shannon Seppela (So, Maplewood, Minn) battled back from a first round loss to place fifth at No. 6.

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November 1, 1997

SECOND PERIOD DOOMS STOUT CHANCES AGAINST RIVER FALLS

MENOMONIE - UW-Stout's Swedish connection of Johan Sandstrom (Fr, Lulea, Sweden) and Marcus Soderberg (So, Huddinge, Sweden) gave the Blue Devils a 1-0 first period lead, but UW-River Falls came soaring back in the second period with three goals to take a 3-1 Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) win at Menomonie, Nov. 1.

The Falcons (2-0, 2-0) exploded out of the locker room in the second period to hand Stout (0-4, 0-4) their fourth straight loss. Jeff Barnard scored unassisted at the 2:07 mark in the period, then Peter Cullen added a goal four minutes later and Jared Anderson capped off the scoring seconds before the end of the period.

In a close battle, River Falls outshot Stout, 32-31, with Stout goalie Kevin Hulsey (Fr, New Richmond) notching 29 saves, while the Falcons' Brady Alstead had 30 saves.

Stout returns to action Friday, Nov. 7 when they travel to UW-Stevens Point, then entertain the Pointers, Saturday, Nov. 8 at 7:30 at the Dunn County Ice Arena.

October 31, 1997

RIVER FALLS ICES BLUE DEVIL COMEBACK

But the Falcons would deny the Blue Devils any more opportunities and went on to a 5-1 Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) win Friday, Oct. 31 at River Falls.

The Falcons (1-0, 1-0) took the lead for good with 47 seconds remaining in the second period, then exploded for three unaswered goals in the final stanza.

River Falls outshot Stout (0-3, 0-3), 33-22, while the Blue Devils' Todd Sether (Fr, International Falls, Minn) recorded 28 saves.

The Falcons' Chris Coakley had two goals and an assist, while Mike Schauer had one goal and three assists.

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October 24, 1997

BLUE DEVIL CAGER TEAMS TO SQUARE OFF AGAINST LITHUANIAN SQUADS

MENOMONIE- A sneak preview of the UW-Stout men's and women's basketball squads will be in store when the Blue Devils square off against teams from Lithuania, Thursday, Nov. 6 at Johnson Fieldhouse.

The Blue Devil women will open up the evening's exhibitions when they meet the Lithuanian women's national basketball team at 5 p.m.

The Lithuanian team will feature 6-foot, 7-inch Irena Baranauskaite, who, along with Lina Brazdeikyte, was a winner of the Eurobasket 1997 in Hungary. Lithuania is coached by Valentinas Kanapkis, who has coached teams that have won the Lithuanian championship in 1995 and 1996.

The Blue Devils are coming off their first ever conference championship season, going 19-8 on the season, 14-2 in league play.

The Blue Devil men are scheduled to play the Neptunas men's team of Lithuania at 7 p.m.

The Lithuanian team will be led by Alvydas Pazdrazdis, a 6-6, 220-pound guard who played on the Lithuanian team that won a bronze medal at the Barcelona Olympic Games in 1992. Erikas Bublys, a 6-11, 238-pound center, is a member of the Lithuanian National Team.

Lithuanian head coach Rimas Girskia was a member of the Lithuanian national team from 1975-85 and also coached NBA player Sarunas Marciulionis.

The Blue Devils are coming off an 11-14 overall record, 5-11 in conference play, and will feature a young team.

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