MENOMONIE - The UW-Eau Claire men's basketball team was defeated tonight by I-94 rival UW-Stout by a score of 59-47.

The loss drops the Blugolds to 9-9 overall and 2-8 in Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) play. The victory gives UW-Stout an overall record of 14-4 and a WIAC record of 7-3.

The first half was tight between the two rivals, however the Blue Devils led for the majority of it. The Blugolds first lead came with 14:30 to go in the first half on a Dan Beyer (So.-Waukesha, WI/Catholic Memorial) three-pointer. Stout would then go on an 11-0 run to make the score 19-9 with 9:18 to go. The Blugolds would respond with a 7-0 run of their own, to cut the Stout lead down to three.

The Blugolds would regain the lead on a Luke Meier (So.-Cross Plains, WI/Middleton) three-pointer to make the score 23-21 with 3:56 remaining in the half. The Blue Devils, however, would score the final eight points of the half to go into halftime with a 29-23 lead.

The Blue Devils shot 46% in the half, while the Blugolds shot just 32%.

The Stout lead would gradually grow in the second half. Stout hit a three at the beginning of the half and that's as close as the Blugolds would get in the half. The Blue Devils would build their lead to as much as 15 with 7:35 remaining in the game. The Blue Devils would coast to victory 59-47.

The Blue Devils finished the game shooting 43% and the Blugolds finished shooting just 31%. Stout out-rebounded the Blugolds 37-30 in the game.

Dan Beyer led all scorers with a career-high 18 points for the Blugolds. Jared Bardon (So.-DeForest, WI) added 10 points for the Blugolds. Dan Ottney (So.-Glenwood City, WI) led the team in rebounding with seven boards.

Up next the Blugolds will host UW-Platteville in the second game of a men's and women's doubleheader to be held Saturday night in Zorn Arena. The men's game is scheduled to get underway at approximately 7 p.m. following the women's game.

Eau Claire-Stout Box Score

- JR -