LA CROSSE (Febraury 19, 2014) - An offensive barrage by UW-La Crosse over the last three minutes proved to be the difference as the Eagles reeled off a 12-3 run in the final 2:50 to come away with a 63-55 victory overUW-Stout Wednesday at Mitchell Hall

With the loss, the Blue Devils (12-12, 7-8 WIAC) locked up the fifth seed for the WIAC tournament while the Eagles (16-9, 10-6 WIAC) secured the third seed. Stout will travel to UW-Platteville, Wednesday, Feb. 26 in the first round of the WIAC Tournament, while La Crosse will host UW-Oshkosh.

After shooting 50 percent (13-26) in the first half, including 6-11 from three-point range, Stout went cold in the second, managing to hit just 19.4 percent (6-13) of their shots after the break.

Aaron Jenny (Sr, Spicer, Minn.) turned in a double-double for Stout, scoring 14 points and grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds while Jimmy Whitehead (Sr, La Crosse) led the Blue Devils with 16 points.

The first half ended with Stout on top, 35-30, but neither team really seemed to have the edge until the half was nearly over. With 3:17 to go in the period, a three from Alex Oman (Sr, Lake Elmo, Minn.) gave Stout the first double digit lead of the contest, 31-21.

Stout would push the advantage to as many as 14 points, 35-21, with 2:23 left, but La Crosse refused to go away, ending the half on a 9-0 run to cut their deficit to just five points.

In the second, the Eagles continued what they started in the first, going on a 12-0 stretch before the Blue Devils would score again. Jenny would end the scoreless streak on a layup with 12:48 to go in the second.

In all, the Blue Devils were held scoreless for nearly 10 straight minutes, going from a 35-21 lead to a 42-35 disadvantage during that stretch.

A 9-2 stretch featuring five points from Whitehead and four from Jenny brought the Blue Devils back, tieing the game at 44 with 9:53 to go.

Stout wasnt done yet though, as Brett Ahsenmacher (Fr, Annandale, Minn.)  connected on a three and a layup by Debonair Townsend (Sr, Milwaukee) gave Stout a five point advantage, 49-44 with 7:20 remaining.

Ahsenmacher finished with nine points, hitting 3-4 from downtown for the Blue Devils while Townsend made his presence felt on the defensive end with three blocked shots.

Stout would hold the lead until the 5:00 mark, when a Braden Tice three-pointer gave the Eagles a 51-50 edge.

An Oman layup gave Stout the lead right back, 52-51, but a jumper by La Crosse's Calahan Skogman on the next possesion would give the Eagles back the lead for good.

Oman added eight points for Stout, who were outshot, 33.3 percent (19-57) compared to 38.2 percent (21-55)for La Crosse. The Blue Devils won the rebounding battle, 46-37 as Whitehead and Jay Higgins (Sr, Maple Grove, Minn.) added seven boards apiece for Stout.

Up next, Stout will turn their attention to the fnal regular season opponent, top-ranked UW-Stevens Point. The Blue Devils will take on the Pointers this Saturday, Feb. 22 at Stevens Point, with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m.