Stoutonia

Issue date: 1/28/10 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Aric Hanusa Brittney Gerber

Media Credit: Layne Pitt Kayla Windt

The University of Wisconsin-Stout women's basketball team has been prevailing despite the snow and slush. On Dec. 15 forward Megan Maslowski, a senior, was named the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) athlete of the week due to steady performance and her contribution to a three-game win streak. During the week, Maslowski averaged 13.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, seven assists and one steal. This was the first time she has earned this honor. Maslowski is not afraid to pop her 3-point shot, averaging eight shots this season, three short of last year. She is tied with guard Kim Stokke for the team lead in assists with 29. Last season her 46 assists were third on the team.

Maslowski isn't the only player to receive recognition. Julia Hirssig, a senior, is a finalist for the 2010 Rochester Area Sports Banquet Annual Awards. Hirssig currently leads the WIAC in scoring (21.7 ppg) and leads the NCAA Division III in field goal percentage (.685).

These ladies did not have much time for a break. Promptly after Christmas, they played the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor at the Texas Challenge. That day the team shot 61 percent from the floor in the first half, but still trailed by five points at halftime and lost, 74-63. It turned the ball over 29 times, 16 of which were in the first half of the game, scoring 21 points off the turnovers. The UMHB shot off an 8-2 start and built up a lead of as much as 22 points with 10 minutes left in the contest. They held Hirssig to only four second half points. Hirssig again led UW-Stout for game scoring honors with 16 points. Tricia VanVreede brought 14 more points for her team. The game was messy on both sides, with neither team shooting well from the free-throw line, but this didn't stop it during its next game on the following day.

On Dec. 29, UW-Stout played Trinity University. After shooting only 28 percent in the first half and trailing 35-32 at halftime, the Blue Devils turned up the defense in the second half. They nearly shut down Trinity, allowing only seven second half field goals. UW-Stout's offense also knew when to step it up, hitting 53 percent of its second half shots from the floor, 16-30, with three 3-pointers and 16 free throws. Maslowski led the second half charge, getting 16 of her 17 points. Stokke brought in her career-high of 19 points. Hirssig brought in 12 points and cleared 16 rebounds, one short of her career high, to claim her fourth double-double of the season. Danielle DeWitt, a senior, contributed 12 points. The four seniors combined for a total of 70 points and 45 of the team's 51 second half points. The 51 points were UW-Stout's biggest offensive output of a single half this season. They won 82-67 with as much as an 18-point lead.

After a short break, they returned on Jan. 6 to play against University of Wisconsin-River Falls. The team overcame a nine-point lead in the final six minutes of regulation to force overtime, but UW-River Falls took a lead again almost right away to defeat the Blue Devils, 68-65. The 13th ranked Falcons (13-0, 5-0) remained undefeated. It seemed as though the team was fighting an uphill battle, only holding small leads briefly. The ball was traded all evening with UW-Stout finishing the night with 33 turnovers and UW-River Falls with 32. Each team was marked with 24 fouls. Hirssig led all scorers with 17 points and tallied her fifth double-double of the season with 13 rebounds. DeWitt had 13 points, Maslowski ended with 12 and Stokke with six. The seniors combined for 48 points. With the 17 points of that game, Hirssig climbed to second on the UW-Stout all-time scoring list, surpassing Kelsey Duoss. Hirssig had 1419 points that week.

Determined to win again, UW-Stout hosted the University of Wisconsin-Platteville on Jan. 9. The beginning of the game did not look like it would hold any suspense, and UW-Platteville started off hot. The Pioneers kept the offensive onslaught up and built as much as a 15-5 lead before UW-Stout went off on a 15-2 run to pull ahead 20-17 midway through the period. Hirssig went on to score 30 points before fouling out with 90 seconds left in the game. She hit 11-of-17 shots from the floor and 8-of-11 free throws. She scored nine points in the run and had a game-high of eight rebounds. The game was tight throughout the second half, tying 13 times. UW-Stout called a timeout with 5.7 seconds remaining and set up the shot to Maslowski. After a couple of passes, Maslowski got the pass and took the shot. With .3 seconds remaining she shot a ball that stayed on the rim, putting everyone on the edge of their seats. The ball went in, and UW-Stout defeated UW-Platteville, 86-84. Maslowski finished with 17 points, hitting 7-of-8 shots from the floor and 8-of-11 free throws. She had a game high of eight rebounds.

UW-Stout stepped out of the conference play on Tuesday, Jan. 12, when it hosted Northland College. UW-Stout blew past it in the second half 79-67. Throughout the season, four seniors have been shining, but in this game a new, promising face emerged. Stacy Bush, a senior, came off the bench with about two minutes left in the first half and scored five points before halftime. Holding an 11-point lead during the second half, UW-Stout started a 14-3 run that sealed its victory. This game was a prelude for two crucial WIAC contests.

After a 68-80 loss to University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh on Jan. 16, UW-Stout defeated the University of Wisconsin-Superior two days later. UW-Stout got a 32-2 run over the first 11 minutes of the halftime. With the score tied at 43 during intermission, the team exploded out of the locker room and went on to get a 92-61 win over the Yellowjackets.

On Jan. 23, UW-Stout played against UW-River Falls. UW-Stout trailed early, with UW-River Falls answering every UW-Stout basket, but pushed its way into a lead late in the first half and didn't trail, winning the game, 80-67. UW-Stout will host the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse on Wednesday, Jan. 27 at 7 p.m. and will be at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Saturday, Jan. 30.

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