Blue Devil Men's Basketball

January 2, 1998

STOUT LOSES TO ST. SCHOLASTICA IN FIRST ROUND OF EDGEWOOD TOURNEY

MADISON - While both teams shot poorly from the floor in the second half, UW-Stout shot only 21 percent and the College of St. Scholastica went on to down the Blue Devils, 75-70, in the opening round of the Edgewood College Tournament, Friday, Jan. 2 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Fieldhouse.

With Stout's Jeremy Preston (Jr, Madison) lighting up the scoreboard for 13 points in the first half, the teams played to a 45-45 halftime tie. The game was Preston's first back since being injured early in December.

The Saints switched to a zone defense and shut Preston down, then built an eight point lead. The Blue Devils brought the score to 71-70 with less than a minute remaining. The Saints hit two free throws with 24 seconds remaining and Stout's Ryan Fiskewold (Jr, Cedarburg) missed a potential game tying 3-pointer and Scholastica tacked on two more free throws to finish the game.

Ben Kuepers (So, Dickeyville) led all scorers with 21 points. Andy Myers (So, Eau Claire) chipped in 14. Preston finished the night with 13 points, as did Rik Bertin (So, Fredonia).

The Saints were led by Shawn Kopischke with 18 points.

January 3, 1998

BLUE DEVILS FALL IN EDGEWOOD CONSOLATION GAME

MADISON - Jeremy Leibfried's (So, Dickeyville) jumper from near the free throw line rimmed out as the final buzzer sound and UW-Stout dropped a 65-64 consolation contest to the Milwaukee School of Engineering at the Edgewood College Classic Saturday, Jan. 3 at the University of Wisconsin Fieldhouse in Madison.

The Blue Devils fell to 7-4 overall and were led by Andy Myers (So, Eau Claire) who scored 24 points, including going a perfect 8-for-8 at the free throw line. The line played a big part in the game, with Stout canning 23-of-35 charity shots, while the Raiders hit 28-of-37.

Both teams struggled from the floor, with MSOE connecting on 17-of-44 shots, while Stout was 20-of-56. The key was from 3-point range with Stout hitting only 1-of-12 bombs. MSOE hit 3-of-12.

Leibfried added 12 points and a team high nine rebounds. Ben Kuepers (So, Dickeyville) finished the afternoon with 10 points. Myers was named to the all-tournament team. The Raiders were led by Jason Keifenham and Steve Abramowski, who both had 15 points.

Stout returns to Johnson Fieldhouse Wednesday, Jan. 7 when they host UW-Eau Claire at 7 p.m. Stout travels to Whitewater Saturday, Jan. 10.

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Blue Devil Women's Basketball

December 30, 1997

BLUE DEVIL WOMEN DROP FIRST GAME OF THE SEASON

DECORAH, Iowa - Millikin University outscored UW-Stout 10-6 in overtime to hand the Blue Devils their first loss of the season, an 84-80 defeat in a battle of nationally ranked heavyweights at the Luther College Holiday Invitational Tuesday, Dec. 30.

Amy Kleinwachter, a 6-foot-2 Millikin sophomore, gave fifth ranked Millikin (8-0) the edge with an unusual triple-double, scoring 20 points, pulling down 12 rebounds and blocking 10 shots.

Stout (7-1), ranked 11th in the latest Columbus Multi-Media Poll, was led by Kim Hautala (Jr, Crystal Falls, Mich) with 13 points. Shannon Berg (Jr, Ellsworth) finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Staci Rademacher (Sr, Sun Prairie) had 11 points. DeeAnn Walters (Fr, Bangor) cleared 13 rebounds and score eight points.

The Blue Devils' leading scorer, Bree Mahone (So, Racine) was held to eight points and six rebounds in only 15 minutes of play.

Millikin last year ended the Blue Devils' season, defeating Stout 81-77 in the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs.

December 31, 1997

BLUE DEVIL WOMEN DROP FIRST GAME OF THE SEASON

DECORAH, Iowa - Shooting only 28 percent in the second half, the UW-Stout women's basketball team dropped their second game of the season - and their second in a row - falling to Luther College, 67-64, Wednesday, Dec. 31 at Luther.

Taking a 37-34 lead into the locker room, the Blue Devils fell everywhere, but especially at the free throw line and finished the game hitting only 6-of-15 charity shots, while the host Norse finished 20-of-32 at the line.

Freshman DeeAnn Walters (Bangor) continued her hot streak, making her second start of the season, leading the Blue Devils with 12 points. Bree Mahone (So, Racine) scored 10 points and recorded 12 rebounds.

Luther was led by Kelly Brockhon, who scored 22 points and controlled the boards with 18 rebounds. Rachel Hohenstein had 18 points, with Megan Stull hitting 10 points.

The Blue Devils will have to rediscover their winning ways fast with their next game scheduled at Eau Claire, Wednesday, Jan. 7, where Stout will face No. 1 rated UW-Eau Claire. Stout returns home Saturday, Jan. 10 when they host UW-Whitewater at 3 p.m. in Johnson Fieldhouse.

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Blue Devil Hockey

January 5, 1998

UW-STOUT HOCKEY TEAM TOURS SWEDEN

SWEDEN - In between seeing the sights of the country of Sweden between Christmas and New Years, the UW-Stout hockey played three games, dropping all three exhibition contests in the Stockholm area.

Stout lost to Limhamn, 6-1, Dec. 29, 2-1 to Jonstorp, Dec. 30 and 10-4 to Trangsund Jan. 2.

Blue Devil coach Terry Watkins described the trip as "an awesome experience. I would do it again in a heartbeat. Culturally, it was great, hockey-wise, we didn't do so well."

Watkins explained that there are five levels of hockey played in Sweden, with Elite being the highest followed by Level 1, Level 2, Level 3 and Level 4. The three teams Stout played were Level 2. Elite is similar to the National Hockey League.

"This was good European hockey," Watkins said. "They pass better, skate better." Watkins said the teams were not as physical as teams in North America, but could play physically if they needed to. The teams were made up of players who were in their mid- to late-20s, and were either on their way up to the Elite level or coming down from it.

The rink is also 15 feet wider, allowing the game to become more wide-open.

"There is a lot more space to cover," Watkins said. "This teaches us to use our space better."

Watkins described Stockholm as one of the cleanest places he has ever been to. With the city built on an island, Watkins said the beauty of the city was accented by the water all around the area.

Stout returns to action Tuesday, Jan. 6 when they travel to St. Olaf College. The Blue Devils will be back in Northern Collegiate Hockey Association action the weekend of Jan. 15-16 when they host Bemidji State, the NCAA Division II defending national champion.

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Blue Devil Gymnastics

January 5, 1998

GYMNASTICS TEAM RETURNS TO ACTION FRIDAY BY HOSTING LA CROSSE

MENOMONIE - After more than a month off of competition, the UW-Stout gymnastics squad will be back in action Friday, Jan. 9 when they host defending NCGA champion UW-La Crosse at 7 p.m. at Johnson Fieldhouse.

The Blue Devils are coming off a 123.925-122.350 win over UW-Whitewater on Dec. 9 where freshman Brenna Jones (St. Paul, Minn) took all-around honors.

The Eagles are currently 1-1, after knocking off Gustavus Adolphus, 137-55-131.925 and falling to Hamline, 134.55-132.275.

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