MENOMONIE (January 4, 2014) - The Blue Devils never trailed enroute to a 56-45 victory over rival UW-Eau Claire Saturday night at Johnson Fieldhouse. On a slow night offensively, Stout's defense came up big, recording eight steals and seven blocks while outrebounding the Blugolds 39-31.

The only time Stout (8-4, 3-1) did not hold the lead was at 17:46 in the first half, when Eau Claire tied the game at 2-2 with a lay up.

From that point on, it was all Stout as the Blue Devils harassed Eau Claire (7-6, 0-4) into a 17-55 (30.9%) shooting night.

Free throws also played a huge role in the victory, as Stout shot 17-27 from the line, compared to just 3-5 for Eau Claire.

After a slow start for both teams, the Blue Devils got things rolling with a 20-8 run over the last 8 minutes of the first half to give them a 31-17 lead at the break.

To start the second, an Eau Claire three-pointer and a free throw sandwiched around a Hank Kujak (So, Blair) trey pulled the Blugolds within 13.

From here, Stout seized control with a 10-0 run, highlighted by 5 points and a block by Tim Butina and capped off with a deep three by Brett Ahsenmacher (Fr, Annandale, Minn.), to take a 44-21 lead with 13:28 remaining.

Refusing to go quietly, Eau Claire immediately reeled off a 17-5 run of their own, hitting 4-5 three-pointers over that stretch to close the gap to 49-39 with 5:30 to go.

The Blue Devils would push the lead back to 17, taking a 56-39 lead before Eau Claire scored the final six points of the game.

Alex Oman (Sr, Lake Elmo, Minn.), Ahsenmacher, and Aaron Jenny (Sr, Spicer) each had 11 points for Stout. Oman and Adam Wadzinksi (Sr, Verona) had 3 steals apiece for Stout while Debonair Townsend (Sr, Milwaukee) anchored the paint defense with 4 blocked shots. Wadzinksi also chipped in 7 points and 6 rebounds. Four Blue Devils had at least five rebounds, led by Jenny's game-high 8.

For Eau Claire, Adam Hjelter and Mau Lewis each scored a game-high 12 points apiece.

This game marked the start of a four-game homestand for the Blue Devils, as they will host top-ranked UW-Stevens Point on Wednesday, January 8, 2014 at Johnson Fieldhouse.