MENOMONIE, Wis. – Junior Carly Cerrato (De Pere, Wis./De Pere) scored a career-high 24 points, but the UW-Stevens Point women's basketball team (8-16, 4-9) came up short in a 78-68 loss at UW-Stout (17-7, 7-6) on Wednesday.
 
Sophomore Kellan Schmidt (Edgerton, Wis./Edgerton) also set a career-high with 18 points for UWSP.  She led the Pointers with five rebounds.  Amber Baehman (Plainfield, Wis. /Tri-County) added 12 points as the third UWSP player in double figures.
 
Bailee Collins (Milton, Wis./Milton) got UWSP on the board and buckets by Cerrato and Schmidt gave the Pointers a 6-2 lead.  Schmidt scored again to tie the game at 8-8, but nine-straight by the Blue Devils put UW-Stout ahead at the end of one.
 
Schmidt scored on consecutive possessions to begin the second before a 6-0 run by the Blue Devils put the deficit at 12.  Back-to-back threes by Cerrato got UWSP back within six.  Late in the quarter, Baehman hit from behind the arc, but the Pointers trailed 34-27 at the half.
 
Cerrato buried a three in the opening seconds of the third and Schmidt followed with basket to cut it to a two-point game, 34-32.  Schmidt scored again, but an 18-2 run put the Blue Devils in control.  Baehman and Taylor Greenheck (Sauk Prairie, Wis./Sauk Prairie) scored late, but UWSP was down 54-38 after three.
 
The fourth quarter began with Cerrato hitting another three.  Schmidt and Baehman each scored to briefly cut the deficit to single digits.  Midway through the quarter, Cerrato hit another triple and Baehman scored five-straight as UWSP got within four.  Consecutive makes by Schmidt kept the Pointers close, But UWSP went cold from the floor and the Blue Devils pushed the lead to 13 in the final minute.  Cerrato buried a late three, her career-best sixth of the game, but it was too little, too late.
 
The Pointers return home to close out the regular season on Saturday (Feb. 16) against UW-Platteville. Tip-off in Berg Gym is slated for 3:00 p.m.