CROOKSTON, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Crookston men's basketball team fell 81-73 to University of Wisconsin-Stout Tues., Nov. 15 at Lysaker Gymnasium. The Golden Eagles opened up the game on an 8-0 run, but the Blue Devils would out-score Minnesota Crookston 41-23 the rest of the first half to lift them to the win. 18 turnovers and going just 6-of-24 from beyond the arc helped contribute to UMC's loss, while Wisconsin-Stout shot 54.5 percent from behind the three-point line and had just nine turnovers on the game.

Tuesday was UMC's home opener in front of a crowd of over 700 fans at Lysaker Gymnasium. Minnesota Crookston falls to 1-2 with the loss, while Wisconsin-Stout starts out the season with a 1-0 mark.

"They switched to a zone defense and we started casting up three-pointers and they were contested shots and not the type of threes we want to take," said Head Coach Dan Weisse. "We needed to attack the gaps and we didn't do that. We also need to be mature as a team and make better decisions. Hopefully we will be able to learn from this game and come back Thursday and put together a better effort."

The Golden Eagles finished with four players in double-figures. Connor Gamble (R-Fr., G, Stillwater, Minn.) led the way with 14 points off the bench on 5-of-9 from the field. Chase Johnson (Fr., G/F, La Crosse, Wis.) also had a strong game off the bench as he finished with 11 points and six rebounds.

Gable Smith (R-So., F, Lodi, Wis.) would add 10 points, three rebounds, four assists, two block and a steal. Harrison Cleary (Fr., G, Oak Creek, Wis.), who was named NSIC North Division Player of the Week earlier in the day, had a slow start after two early fouls. He would finish with 11 points and three assists.

Minnesota Crookston would have a strong shooting day overall as they went 29-of-55 for 52.7 percent. They were 9-of-14 for 64.3 percent from the free-throw line.
Wisconsin-Stout went 28-of-65 from the field for 43.1 percent. They were 12-of-22 for 54.5 percent from beyond the arc. The Blue Devils were also strong from the charity stripe as they went 13-of-15 for 86.7 percent.

The Blue Devils moved the ball around well as they had 12 assists to nine turnovers. John Keefe led the way with 22 points on just 4-of-15 from the field. However, he made it up from the charity stripe as he went a perfect 11-of-11. John Lahti added 17 points on 8-of-13 from the field, while Keegan Dickson had 15 points, including going 5-of-6 from beyond the arc.

Cleary would open up the scoring for the Golden Eagles, starting an 8-0 run to begin the game.

 They would not allow the Blue Devils to score until six minutes into the first half. The University of Wisconsin-Stout would come back to tie and eventually take their first lead of the night 23 to 20 as the Golden Eagles fell into a funk. The Blue Devils would hold the lead for the rest of the game. The Golden Eagles would trail 41-31 at the half despite shooting 45 percent from beyond the arc. However, the Golden Eagles were 1-of-12 from beyond the yard.

Minnesota Crookston would open the second the half with a huge dunk from Smith. This however would be followed by a 7-0 run for the Blue Devils. John Lahti would slam one down for the Blue Devils extending their lead to 50-37. Johnson would follow it up with a dunk of his own. The Blue Devils would then go on to capture their biggest lead of the game, 56-41, following a three pointer by Keegan Dickson. UMC would cut the lead to five after a three by Smith and a jumper by Cleary. The Golden Eagles would pull within four after lay-ups by Johnson and Cleary to bring the score to 66-61. However, the Blue Devils would pull away scoring 12 more to end the game led by crucial free throws down the stretch.

Minnesota Crookston will return to action Thurs., Nov. 17 as they host Waldorf College at 7 p.m.