MENOMONIE, WIS. – The University of Northwestern men's basketball team traveled east across the state border to battle The University of Wisconsin- Stout (4-3 overall) Saturday afternoon. The Eagles came up short in the highly contested match, falling to the Blue Devils by a final score of 70-56. With the loss, UNW drops to 1-4 on the season.

Northwestern put together strong offensive and defensive efforts all throughout the first frame, as they trailed closely behind UWS for the majority of the period.

With just under two minutes left to play on the half, things got interesting as Sophomore Taylor Slagter (Roseland, Minn./CMCS) leveled the score, 29-29, off a good layup. Shortly after, Senior Isaiah Rahier (Northome, Minn./Northome) snatched a steal from the home team and dished to Junior Jacob Gervais (Cottage Grove, Minn./Homeschool) for another easy bucket to give the Eagles its first lead of the game, 31-29. Then, the Blue Devils used two made free throws to equalize the score, 31-31, at the intermission break.

On the half, Gervais led the purple and gold with 11 points, followed by Junior Caleb Hageman (Charles City, Iowa/Charles City) with six. The Eagles also shot an impressive 43.3% from the field, while the Blue Devils shot 42.3% from the floor. UNW also outrebounded UWS, 21-16.  

Northwestern got the first bucket of the second half, but from then on UW-Stout took full control of the game, polishing off the afternoon with a 70-56 win over the visiting Eagles.

UNW shot 41.4% from the floor, while UWS finished by shooting 48.1% from the field. As a team, the Eagles also totaled a noteworthy 10 assists, three steals, two blocks, and 40 rebounds [12 OFF, 28 DEF].

Gervais led all scorers with a career-high of 18 points, going 8-for-13 from the field and perfect [1-for-1] from the charity stripe. He also collected an assist and added three rebounds to his stat line. Hageman was the only other Eagle to finish in double digits, pouring in 13 points, while Rahier ended with nine. Hageman also grabbed five boards and tabbed one assist, while Rahier snatched two rebounds and dished three assists.

The squad will open up conference play on Wednesday, December 6, against Bethany Lutheran College. Game time is slated for 5:30 p.m. in Mankato. Fans can find more information on the men's program by visiting www.unweagles.com and by following @unwmbb on Twitter.