MENOMONIE, Wis. (UWECBlugolds.com) - Despite holding a lead for the first eight minutes, the UW-Eau Claire men's basketball team couldn't hold on and fell 76-63 to UW-Stout at Johnson Fieldhouse today.

After the Blugolds opened with a 6-0 run, Stout used a 20-6 run to build an eight-point lead and then got up by as much as nine points at the 6:18 mark. But the Blugolds didn't give up and went on a 12-0 run of their own to get back up by three.

While Stout took a one-point lead into halftime (26-25), the Blugolds were able to recapture the lead, holding a one-point advantage as late as 16:38. After that, however, the Blue Devils began to take control of the game.

Over the next 12 minutes, Stout outscored the Blugolds 31-19 to get up by 11 and the closest the Blugolds would get the rest of the way was seven points with less than four minutes to play. Over the final three and a half minutes, the Blugolds managed just seven points while Stout had 13 to win by 13 points.

Jordan Petersen (So.-Strum, Wis./Eleva-Strum) led the Blugolds with a career-high 18 points while Marcus Ruh (So.-Green Bay, Wis./Bay Port) scored 15. Dustin Kalien (So.-Chippewa Falls, Wis./Chi-Hi) had seven rebounds to lead the Blugolds.

Amadou Fofana (Sr.-Appleton, Wis./West) and Ivan Franklin (Sr.-Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater/UM-Duluth) both ended their careers as Blugolds today. Fofana, who has played for Eau Claire for the past four seasons, finished with 784 points and 266 rebounds, competing in 88 games. Franklin, who played for Eau Claire this season only, scored 208 points and had 76 rebounds.

The Blugolds end the season with a 9-16 overall mark and 3-13 record in conference play.