Not only would a victory finally get the Yellowjackets back on track, it would also provide plenty of momentum heading into Saturday's home tilt with UW-Oshkosh.  And UW-Superior turned out to be more than ready for the challenge, breaking a 34-34 halftime deadlock by taking control after halftime on the way to posting a 75-64 victory.

The win ups UW-Superior's overall record to 12-9.  More importantly, it brings the Yellowjackets' conference mark to an even 6-6 heading into a stretch where three of the team's final four games are at home.

UW-Superior got off to a quick start in the opening minutes, jumping out to a 6-3 lead with 16:06 left in the first half following a layup by Bronson Byrne (Chanhassen, Minn./Chaska), a jumper by Ben Aalfs (Hutchinson, Minn./Hutchinson) and two free throws by Brendan Bauer (Eleva, Wis./Gilmanton).

The Blue Devils (6-14 overall, 1-10 WIAC) came right back, going on a 13-2 burst to take a 16-8 advantage after a jumper by Jarvis Ragland with 10:40 showing on the clock.

A quick 9-0 run by the Yellowjackets gave the lead back to UW-Superior at 19-18 following back-to-back threes by Aalfs, a layup by Walter Charlton (Nassau, Bahamas/Teleos Christian) and another three by Dustin Ritchie (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) with 6:46 left in the opening half.

Matters remained tight for the remainder of the half before a layup by UW-Stout's Aaron Jenny and a free throw by the Blue Devils' Alex Oman in the final minute evened the score at 34-34 heading into the intermission.

The Yellowjackets began to take control early in the second half as Aalfs scored 11 points in the first 3:05 of action, giving UW-Superior a 47-41 advantage following his three from the wing with 16:55 showing on the clock.

UW-Superior continued to surge from there, upping the lead to 64-51 on a basket by Bauer with 9:17 remaining in regulation.

The Blue Devils climbed back to within 68-62 after a free throw by Oman with 3:58 left in the second half.

But a big three with the shot clock running down by Trent Davis (Apple Valley, Minn./St. Bernard's) gave the Yellowjackets a 73-62 with just 2:45 remaining.  From there, the Blue Devils never got closer than 11 points.

Aalfs scored 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds while Byrne added 12 points and added nine boards.  Ritchie and Bauer each added nine points while Jarrod Peterson (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata) pitched in with eight points.

Oman led all scorers with 28 points.  Ragland finished with 12 points for the Blue Devils as well.

The Yellowjackets host the Titans starting at 3 p.m. on Saturday.  The game will be broadcast locally on 91.3 FM KUWS with Matt Johnson and Monte Stewart on the call.