Sun 26-Nov-2000

UW-SP mens basketball defeat Marian
By JESSE HORNE
CW Sunday staff writer

Josh Iserloth of UW-SP shoots against the Marian defense Saturday at the Quandt Fieldhouse.

The UW-Stevens Point men's basketball team members may have read "A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens in preparation for their game Saturday against Marian College.

The first half was the worst of times for the Pointers with numerous missed shots and a Sabre team using the clock to its advantage.

However, UW-SP rallied late in first half and its second half became the best of times with perfection at the free throw line as they beat Marian the Sabres, 71-57. The win preserves UW-SP's undefeated record at 4-0.

"This was our first tight game of the year," head coach Jack Bennett said. "We had to shoot well when the game was in the balance."

The Pointers enjoyed clutch shooting from the free throw line in the second half. They nailed all 19 of their shots from the charity stripe, with Joe Zuiker hitting nine . He finished with 15 points.

"It was nice to get into that groove tonight," Zuiker said. "Once I got the first four or five, the rest seemed to come easier for me."

Marian's Eric Muench was fouled by Ron Nolting as he hit a shot from behind the arc. The ensuing four point play gave the Sabres a 12-7 lead with 13 minutes to go in the first half. Muench finished as the teams' top scorer with 18 points.

Five minutes later, Scott Jaeger provided the Sabre's second four-point play when he was fouled by the Pointers Jay Bennett as he hit a three-point shot. The series of shots widened the Sabres lead to 21-15 with 8:07 left in the first half.

With the Pointers down by 10 and 4:29 before halftime, Josh Iserloth single-handedly brought life back into his team as he scored eight points in an 11-2 run to finish the half.

Iserloth finished as the game's leading scorer with 20 points.

The game was stopped with 12:51 remaining in the first half due to inaccurate apparel. The officials realized Marian's Steven Matz wore a jersey number which was not listed in the roster. The mishap resulted in an inadvertent technical basket by Brent Larson.

Nolting broke the game with a three-point shot at the top of the key and out the Pointers ahead 52-47 with just over nine minutes remaining in the game.

The Pointers are back in action today when they face Edgewood College of Madison. Game time is scheduled for 3:00 at the Quandt Fieldhouse.