Any hopes of the UW-Eau Claire men’s basketball team making the WIsconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament were crushed Saturday afternoon after a 70-54 loss to UW-Stout at Zorn Arena.
Nick Craggs recorded a double-double, scoring 16 points while grabbing 12 rebounds. Dustin Kalien scored 12 points on four made three-pointers.
Stout opened the game on an 11-1 run and never looked back. Their physical defense created all sorts of troubles for the Blugolds, as they only shot 32 percent from the floor while turning it over 16 times.
The Blue Devils got into the paint often, scoring 26 points there specifically, including a LeBron James-esque slam by Jarvis Ragland. Chris Hortman came off of the bench to score 21 points for Stout.
The one thing that the Blugolds did well was rebound, beating the Blue Devils on the boards 38-35.
Eau Claire will face UW-Platteville on Wednesday at Zorn Arena before wrapping up the regular season on the road in Stevens Point next Saturday.
Check back for extended coverage or pick Thursday’s edition of The Spectator.