Men's Basketball

UW-La Crosse Falls In NCAA Men’s Basketball Elite Eight Contest

LA CROSSE, Wis.--University of Wisconsin-La Crosse dropped an 80-66 decision to Washington University in St. Louis (Mo.) in a national quarterfinal contest on the NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship at Mitchell Hall on March 15.
 
UW-La Crosse advance to the national quarterfinals with a 72-65 triumph over Illinois Wesleyan University (24-6) in their first ever Sweet 16. The Titans opened the second half on a 15-3 run and led 48-32 with 13:46 remaining in the second half, but UW-La Crosse scored 40 of the final 57 points in the contest. JJ Paider led the Eagles with 21 points, including 18 in the second half, while Dustin Derousseau contributed 20 points and Sam Grieger added 11.
 
UW-La Crosse completed the 2025 campaign with a 25-6 record and made their fourth NCAA appearance. The 25 wins established a program record.
 
Against WashU (23-6), the Eagles took their largest lead at 21-14 with 10:23 left in the first half on a JJ Paider layup. WashU (Mo.) took a 33-27 lead with 3:39 left, but UW-La Crosse went on a 11-2 run to end the half to take a 38-35 lead.
 
Sam Grieger's jumper with 17:13 remaining in the second half gave UW-La Crosse a 42-37 lead before WashU (Mo.) scored eight of the game's next 10 points to take a 45-44 advantage.
 
UW-La Crosse trailed 51-50 with 12:11 left on a Grieger layup, but WashU went on a 12-2 run to extend its lead to 63-52 with 9:09 remaining and the Eagles could get no closer than nine points the rest of the game.
 
Grieger led the Eagles with 30 points and eight rebounds, while Paider and Dustin Derousseau each finished with 13 points.
 
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