MENOMONIE, Wis. – Wednesday evening saw the Yellowjacket women's basketball team travel south to take on former Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) foe of UW-Stout. The Blue Devils entered the contest ranked 24th in the nation, boasting a 5-2 record as they hosted Superior in the Johnson Fieldhouse.
Stout orchestrated a 26-point first quarter, giving them the early momentum. The second half of play saw UW-Superior outscore the Blue Devils in both quarters, but the shift of momentum came too late as UW-Stout came away with a 74-61 win.
Game Notes
- Katie Dobson (Black River Falls, Wis./Black River Falls) got the 'Jackets going with a floating jumper from Hannah Hause (Stanley, Wis./Stanley-Boyd), but the Blue Devils engineered 20-straight points throughout the first, utilizing Yellowjacket turnovers and open lanes to jump ahead 26-5 after the first quarter.
- The Yellowjackets started to get back on track in the second, beginning with a layup from Emily Dehler (Pierz, Minn./Pierz Healy) inside the paint after she garnered an assist from Elsa Olson (Cottage Grove, Minn./Park). Stout didn't let up, however, extending their lead by as much as 24 points.
- Hause, along with Elise Besonen (Ewen, Mich./Ewen-Trout Creek) and MyKenzie Leccia (Somerset, Wis./Somerset) helped steer the offensive efforts early on. In the closing stages of the second, Chloe Peterson (Hutchinson, Minn./Hutchinson) subbed into the game and ultimately drew a foul. She would nail both free throws before forcing a steal and finishing a fastbreak layup that closed the scoring.
- Besonen slowly started to heat up in the second half, as she hit an early three to open the third. Alongside Olson and Leccia, the trio scored most of Superior's points to trail 58-37.
- UW-Stout continued to hold the offensive advantage until the fourth quarter. Trailing by 21 points at the end of the third, the Yellowjackets dominated the scoring. Besonen led the charge while Peterson and Dobson followed.
- Superior came within nine points at 66-57, forcing the Blue Devils to take a timeout with 3:10 remaining. Dobson drew a foul and hit both shots at the line, but a Yellowjacket turnover led to a scoop-and-score that gave UW-Stout their sixth win of the campaign.
- Besonen controlled the Yellowjacket offense Wednesday, converting seven of the team's eight three pointers to end with a career-high 29 points. Peterson, Olson and Dehler each finished with eight, seven, and six points, respectively.
- Both squads shot an even 50% from field goal range, while the Yellowjackets garnered a three-point percentage of 57.1 compared to UW-Stout's 30.
The Yellowjackets continue their five-game road span Saturday, traveling to fellow WIAC opponent UW-Eau Claire for a 5 p.m. tip inside the Sonnentag Center.
