UW-Stout opened up a large first half lead, but could not hold on against UW-Whitewater, falling, 72-53, in their conference opener, Saturday evening at Johnson Fieldhouse.

Brea Boomer (So, Grand Portage, Minn.) jumpstarted the Blue Devil (4-3, 0-1 WIAC) offense, scoring the team's first six points to grab an early 6-2 lead.  Whitney Rawdon (Sr, Eau Claire), who ended the game with a team-high 16 points, added five points on two straight possessions, stretching Stout's lead to nine points.

Whitewater (4-2, 1-0 WIAC) kept firing back with buckets of their own, but Stout was able to maintain their lead for the next couple minutes.  A Sami Schoeder (Jr, Durand) three-pointer gave Stout an eight point lead midway through the half.

It was from then on that Whitewater showed why they were ranked 12th, as the scale began to tip in their favor. An 11-2 run gave the Warhawks a 24-23 lead, their first of the evening, and a 9-0 run shortly thereafter gave them a seven point, 33-26 lead. They were able to take that lead into the locker rooms along with a lot of momentum.

They carried that momentum into the second half, reeling off a 14-1 run to open up a 20-point lead. Stout did not score a second-half field goal until 10:52 remained in the game. In fact, they were just 5-for-24 from the field after halftime, compared to 12-for-25 before the break.

Whitewater's Cortney Kumerow led all players with 18 points and 10 rebounds and three other Warhawks joined her as double digit scorers. Whitewater out-rebounded the Devils, 43-26, including a 26-14 edge in the second half.

Both teams posted goose eggs from three in the second half, combining to miss all 13 attempts. Overall, the teams shot a combined 6-for-29 from beyond the arc, just over 17 percent.

Stout will host UW-Superior, this Wednesday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. at Johnson Fieldhouse.