Men's Basketball

January 9, 1999

MENOMONIE - Down by seven points at halftime, the UW-Stout men's basketball team came back to take a one point, 33-32 lead on the strength of Aaron Vachowiak's (So, Wausau) eight points in the first five minutes of the second half, but it was UW-Oshkosh that went on to bounce back for a 68-50 WIAC win Saturday, Jan. 9 at Johnson Fieldhouse.

Vachowiak scored all of his points in that stretch, but a basket by the Titans' Brad Clark, followed by a lay-up by Rusty Riberich, two free throws and a 3-pointer by Aaron Harding sounded that the Titans were going to take off.

Oshkosh (10-4, 4-2) ran off to a 12 point, 52-40 lead, and the closest Stout (9-4, 2-3) would get would be 56-48 with 3:18 remaining.

The Titans' Justin Kamps lit up the board for four 3-pointers, and scored a game-high 18 points. Brad Clark and Harding each pitched in 17 points.

Ben Kuepers (Jr, Dickeyville) had a double-double for the Blue Devils, scoring 14 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Jeremy Preston (Sr, Madison) added 12 points.

Stout returns to action Monday, Jan. 11 when they host UW-Platteville at 7 p.m.

January 6, 1999

RIVER FALLS - After a three-week layoff, the UW-Stout men's basketball team shook off the cobwebs and went on to down UW-River Falls, 81-67, Wednesday, Jan. 6, at River Falls.

With the score tied 59-59 and seven minutes left in the game, the Blue Devils (9-3, 2-2) went on a tear, utilizing three 3-point line and solid defensive play.

Pat Von Feldt (So, Stevens Point) nailed two consecutive 3-pointers and Jeremy Leibfried (Jr, Dickeyville) added another to give Stout a 68-59 lead as River Falls called a timeout.

Ben Kuepers (Jr, Dickeyville) made two free throws, then picked up the loose change to drive home a monster dunk as Stout was in control the rest of the way out.

Kuepers led Stout with 20 points, while Von Feldt finished with a career-high 18 points, all from beyond the arc. Jeremy Preston (Sr, Madison) chipped in 15 points and Leibfried added 13.

The Falcons' (5-6, 1-3) Tony Fisher led all scorers with 21 points. Nic Been and Kent Becker each had 15 points.

Bench play proved to be key to Stout's success. While the bulk of Stout's bench scoring came from Von Feldt, the Blue Devils' bench outscored River Falls, 28-10.

The game was tied, 41-41, and halftime and neither team took control until Stout's nine point outburst.

The game also marked the return of Stout's Aaron Vachowiak (So, Wausau), who had been out since early December with an ankle injury, and Rik Bertin (Jr, Fredonia) who had taken the first semester off. Both big men pulled down two rebounds, with Bertin scoring five points and Vachowiak three in about eight minutes of play.

Women's Basketball

January 9, 1999

OSHKOSH - UW-Oshkosh jumped out to a 30-4 lead over UW-Stout midway through the first half and never even had a thought of looking back as the Titans downed the Blue Devils, 93-58, Saturday, Jan. 9 at Oshkosh.

The Titans (13-0, 6-0), which made 15 of their first 16 field goal attempts, shot a blistering 69 percent from the floor in the first half, going 22-of-32. Stout (5-8, 2-3), in the meantime, was struggling in making 10-of-37 shots. The Titans cooled down a bit in the second half and finished shooting 59 percent on the night.

Oshkosh's Rachel Lachecki led all scorers with 17 points, while Kristin Steckmesser added 15, Sara Hegge had 14 and Kelly McNiff finished with 11.

Amy Zelinger (Fr, Racine) led the Blue Devils, scoring 11 points off the bench. Stacie Anderson (So, Clayton) and Heather Peterson (Jr, Altoona) each scored 10 points.

The Blue Devils will be at UW-Platteville Monday, Jan. 13.

January 6, 1999

MENOMONIE - Even as the UW-Stout women's basketball team was struggling through some tough moments early in the season, Blue Devil coach Mark Thomas knew his team had what it needed to play in the tough Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC). Thomas had stated numberous times his team would put it together and opponents would not want to playing Stout.

UW-River Falls became one of those teams Wednesday, Jan. 6 as the Blue Devils used a blistering first half attack, couple with a complete first half dominance on the boards to take a 97-72 win over the Falcons at Johnson Fieldhouse.

It was all Stout (5-7, 2-2) from the tip-off as the Blue Devils jumped to a an 11-1 lead four minutes into the first half and took a 28-point, 54-26 lead into the locker room.

Stout got a balanced attack in the first stanza, with everyone that entered the game getting into the scoring attack.

Off the glass, Heather Peterson (Jr, Altoona) pulled down seven first half rebounds while Tina Gillen (Fr, Northfield) and Aslynn Johnson (So, Clinton) recorded five apiece. As a team, the Blue Devils recorded 33 boards to 12 for the Falcons (10-2, 2-2) in the first half. On the game, Stout held a 53-34 lead in rebounds.

Stout swelled the lead up to 37 points early in the second half, but fell into some complacency midway through the stanza, turning the ball over on seven possessions to allow River Falls to cut the lead to 21 points.

But the lead proved to be too insurmountable for the Falcons, as Stacie Anderson (So, Clayton) scored 15 of her team-high 21 points in the second half. The Blue Devils had five players in double-digits, led by Anderson.

Peterson had a double-double, scoring 14 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Shannon Berg (Sr, Ellsworth) added 13 points and Rachel Traynor (Sr, Ellsworth) and Amy Zelinger (Fr, Racine) each had 11 points.

River Falls' Missy Johnson led all scorers with 27 points, but she was held to three rebounds. Steph Olson added 19 points and JoLynn Sieburg finished with 10.

Stout's bench outscored the Falcons' bench, 32-9.

January 9, 1999

BEMIDJI, Minn. - Greg Foster (Sr, Roseau, Minn) gave UW-Stout an early lead, but it would be the only lead of the evening for the Blue Devils as Stout fell, 6-3, to Bemidji State Saturday, Jan. 9 in Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) action at Bemidji, Minn.

Foster took an assist from Kevin Aube (So, Sault Ste. Marie, Mich) three minutes into the game. But Stout's (4-12-1, 1-6-1) lead was shortlived as the Beavers answered back nine minutes later on a goal by Chris Bodnar.

The Beavers (11-4, 5-2) would take command in the second period with two goals in the first three minutes. Stout did tighten the score when Andy Anderson (So, Burnsville, Minn) teamed up with Jason Jones (Jr, Plymouth, Minn) at the seven minute mark to make it 4-2. Bemidji closed out the period with a goal with 30 seconds remaining in the stanza.

The Beavers, who will become an NCAA Division I program next season, took a 6-2 lead midway through the third period. Stout's Kelly Selix (Sr, Elk River, Minn), on an assist by Luke Murray (Jr, Bloomington, Minn), scored with five minutes left in the game for the final 6-3 score.

Stout attacked the net well in the first period, outshootomg Bemidji 10-8, but the Beavers held a 41-24 advantage at the end of the game. Blue Devils goalie Todd Sether (Sr, International Falls, Minn) made 35 saves, Bemidji's Adam Pavaltos and Matt Anderson combined for 21 saves.

Stout is off until Jan. 22-23 when they travel to DePere to play St. Norbert.

January 8, 1999

BEMIDJI, Minn. - UW-Stout's Kevin Aube (So, Sault Ste. Marie, Mich) scored a hat trick, the first of his collegiate career, but it wasn't enough as Bemidji State scored four unanswered goals in the third period to down the Blue Devils, 5-4, in an NCHA contest Friday, Jan. 8 at Bemidji, Minn.

Aube, who had gone into the game with six goals, scored the first goal of the game with six minutes off the clock. The Beavers knotted the score in the first, but Stout's offense came alive in the second with three goals to take a 4-1 lead.

Aube scored seven minutes into the second period, then the Blue Devils' Joe Berry (Apple Valley, Minn) recorded only his second goal of the season. Five minutes later, Aube completed the hat trick on his second power play goal of the evening.

But that would be it for the Blue Devil (4-11-1, 1-5-1) offense, which got off only three shots on goal in the third period, while getting pelted with 13 shots on goal in the final stanza. The Beavers' Shane Kalbrenner scored two goals in the third period.

Stout goalie Ben Plester (Fr, Chemainus, B.C.) recorded 33 saves, while the Beavers' Adam Pavlatos had 26. Stout's Greg Foster (Sr, Roseau, Minn) had two assists.

Women's Gymnastics

January 9, 1999

OSHKOSH - The UW-Stout gymnastics team improved their overall score by more than 12 points as they competed in a dual meet at UW-Oshkosh, falling 137.225-92.325, Saturday, Jan. 9.

The Blue Devils filled out their card in only two events, competing five gymnasts on the vault and four on the floor.

Brenna Jones (So, St. Paul, Minn), competing with an injured heel, paced the Blue Devils in all events and tied for third on the vault with an 8.575. Jones finished with an 8.55 on the floor and a 31.875 in the all-around competition.

The Blue Devils will open up their home portion of the schedule Monday, Jan. 18 when they host Hamline University at 7 p.m.

UW-Oshkosh 137.225, UW-Stout 92.325
(First place, and all Stout competitors) Vault: 1. Tiffany Barden (Osh) 9.00; 3. Brenna Jones 8.575; Lauren Seebert 7.85; Andrea Hassel 7.60; Scarlett Ramey 7.55; Kelli Mork 7.35
Uneven bars: 1. Gina Zubert (Osh) 8.30; Brenna Jones 6.85; Scarlett Ramey 4.95
Balance beam: 1. Tiffany Barden (Osh) 9.35; Brenna Jones 7.90; Andrea Hassel 7.05; Lauren Seebert 6.30;
Floor exercise: 1. Sabrina Ashton (Osh) 9.50; Brenna Jones 8.55; Andrea Hassel 7.7; Alissa Martin 5.90; Kelli Mork 5.55
All-around: 1. Kristin Arquette (Osh) 35.225; 2. Marion Imhauser (Osh) 31.825; 3. Brenna Jones 31.875.

Updated: January 11, 1998