Men’s basketball upsets Stout, gains momentum
December 12, 2013
The men’s basketball team opened WIAC play with two straight home games against Platteville and Stout after a road loss at La Crosse.
The Falcons carried a 3-4 record, 0-1 in WIAC play, into the Saturday tilt against Platteville.
Late in the first half of the game the Falcons led the Pioneers by a score of 25-22.
However, a seven point run in the final three minutes of the half put the Pioneers up 29-25 at the midway point.
Five minutes into the second half the Falcons cut into Platteville’s lead and found themselves down by a mere three points. However, a 28-9 run by Platteville put the Pioneers up by a comfortable margin for the remainder of the game. Platteville would ultimately defeat the Falcons 66-48.
Senior forward Ollie White led all scorers with 18 points in the game. He was also the only Falcon to score in double figures on the night. The loss dropped the men’s team to 3-5, with an 0-2 record both in conference, and at home.
On Wednesday night the team returned to action at the Karges Center to face Stout.
Much like on Saturday night, the Falcons found themselves down at halftime. This time, the team found itself down 35-33.
Neither team was able to pull away in the second half of the game as the teams’ traded leads as the game clock continued to wind down. White broke the tie with only 1:18 remaining in the game, and the Falcons never looked back. The team was able to extend the lead to six points, which was the margin of victory.
Senior Ben Gressmer led the Falcons with a team high 17 points in the 70-64 victory.
Unlike the previous game against Platteville, four Falcons scored in double figures against the Blue Devils. In addition to Gressmer, White added 16, junior Jay Sewer had 15, and senior David Berthene had 13.
The win gives the Falcons their first win in the WIAC this season, as well as their first win on the season at the Karges Center. The team now has a 4-5 overall record, with a 1-2 record in WIAC play.
The Falcons will return to action on Friday, Dec. 20, in a non-conference home game against Luther College. After that, the team will be off until the Eau Claire Holiday Classic on Dec. 30 and 31.