It was no secret to the UW-Superior men's basketball team that their opponent on Wednesday, the UW-Stout Blue Devils, was one of the best defensive teams in the WIAC conference.
Unfortunately for the Yellowjackets, the Blue Devils proved to every bit as good as advertised, holding UW-Superior to just 36 percent (18-of-50) shooting and forcing 15 turnovers on the way to a 69-54 win at Mertz Mortorelli Gymnasium.
With the loss, UW-Superior fell to 2-5 on the season and 0-2 in WIAC action while the Blue Devils upped their overall mark to 7-1 and also improved to 1-1 in conference play.
Two three-pointers by Johnquez Brooks (Las Vegas, Nev.) and Jarrod Peterson (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata) in the first 1:30 of play gave the Yellowjackets a 6-5 lead with 18:30 left in the opening half.
A dunk by Alex Oman and two free throws by Jarvis Ragland gave the Blue Devils a 9-6 edge before a three-pointer by Brendan Bauer (Eleva, Wis./Gilmanton) evened up matters at 9-9 with 15:55 remaining in the first half.
But UW-Stout responded with a 10-0 run over the next 4:57 to take a 19-9 lead following a jumper by Josh Kosloske with 9:48 showing on the clock.
UW-Superior trimmed the deficit to 21-16 with 6:02 left, going on a 7-2 burst behind four points from Bronson Byrne (Chanhassen, Minn./Chaska), a jumper by Peterson, and a free throw by Aaron Corry (Lake Nebagamon, Wis.).
The Blue Devils would maintain their advantage for the remainder of the first half, holding the Yellowjackets scoreless in the final 3:47 before baskets by Oman and Jay Higgins gave UW-Stout a 32-21 bulge at the intermission.
UW-Superior again sliced into the lead early in the second half, coming to within 36-30 after a jumper by Bauer, a three-pointer by Trent Davis (Apple Valley, Minn./St. Bernard's), two free throws by Brooks and a layup by Byrne in the first 2:31 of action.
UW-Stout pulled away again from there however, getting four points from Kosloske, an inside score from Oman and a free throw from Higgins to give the Blue Devils a 43-30 edge with 14:51 remaining in regulation.
The Yellowjackets would get no closer than nine points the rest of the way as UW-Superior connected on just 30.8 percent (8-of-26) of their shots from three-point range and were outrebounded 39-33 for the game.
Offensively, UW-Superior was paced by Byrne with 14 points. Brooks added 13 points and eight rebounds while Peterson finished with 11 points.
Oman led all scorers with 20 points. Thomas Scholle-Malone added 12 points for the Blue Devils while Kosloske had 11 points and Ragland 10 for UW-Stout.
The Yellowjackets will host UW-LaCrosse at Mertz Mortorelli Gymnasium on Saturday. Opening tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. and the game can heard locally on 91.3 FM KUWS. Matt Johnson and Monte Stewart will be on the call.