Stevens Point tightens WIAC race
Iserloth's 40 points down Whitewater

By JEFF POTRYKUS
of the Journal Sentinel staff

Whitewater - Josh Iserloth from the wing for three. . . .good. Iserloth from the lane. . . . good. Iserloth to the line for two free throws. . . . count 'em both.

The 6-foot-8 junior forward was by no means the only University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point player who made the trip to UW-Whitewater for a key WIAC basketball game Wednesday night.

Yet it was Iserloth who kept Stevens Point's Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title hopes alive with a virtuoso 40-point performance that helped the Pointers outlast Whitewater, 91-80, in overtime.

As a result, Stevens Point improved to 15-4 overall and 6-4 in the WIAC, tied with UW-Stout (11-7, 6-4) and UW-Oshkosh (14-4, 6-4) and one game behind Whitewater (14-4, 7-3), which suffered its first home loss of the season.

"He's a scorer," Point coach Jack Bennett said of Iserloth, who tied the school's single-game scoring record he set earlier this season. "Tonight I was happy he did some things inside. He is perhaps the best three-point shooter for a big man that this league has seen.

"But we knew tonight we couldn't live on that. We had to get some tough stuff inside."

Iserloth had taken only five shots and scored just four points in the second half of Stevens Point's 72-71 loss to Whitewater on Dec. 5, when he finished with 19 points. On Wednesday, he scored 17 points in the first half, added 18 in the second half and then added five more in the overtime before fouling out with 42.3 seconds remaining. He scored 17 of his points after picking up his fourth foul with 6 minutes 47 seconds left in regulation.

Beginning with two free throws with 7:38 left in regulation, Iserloth scored 18 of the Pointers' next 20 points, closing the run with a short jumper to tie the game at 75-75 with 3:55 left in the overtime.

Then after Whitewater's Andre Hicks missed a jumper, Iserloth grabbed the rebound and Stevens Point freshman forward Nick Bennett scored to give the Pointers the lead for good, 77-75, with 3:23 left. The Pointers hit 9 of 12 free throws down the stretch to pull away.

Iserloth, who entered the game No. 2 in the conference in scoring at 21.4 points, made 4 of 6 three-pointers, 14 of 25 shots overall and all eight of his free throws.

"That was one of our keys tonight, to get the ball inside," said Iserloth, who enjoyed a 4- or 5-inch height advantage over Whitewater's post players and added 11 rebounds. "That was what we did."

Only two other players scored in double figures for Stevens Point, which made 28 of 57 shots (49.1%) and 29 of 35 free throws (82.9%).

"We just played real winning basketball down the stretch," Bennett said.

The Warhawks, who like the Pointers failed to get off a good shot in the waning seconds of regulation, did not.

Hicks, who had missed the last six games because of academic problems, scored 23 points to lead three players in double figures for the Warhawks.

But guards Jake Wolter and Damon Garret combined to make just 2 of 19 shots, the Warhawks shot just 37.9% overall and lost the rebounding battle, 40-32.

"Having those two guys go 2 for 19, we're not going to win many games," Whitewater interim coach Pat Miller said. "We shot 37% and got out-rebounded. So the fact that we took it to overtime was amazing."

Not as amazing as Iserloth's performance.

Three-point goals - UW-Stevens Point 6-18 (Iserloth 4-6, Krajnik 2-3, Relerford 0-2, Bennett 0-3, Kalsow 0-1, Nolting 0-2, Kadima 0-1); UW-Whitewater 3-19 (Hodges 1-1, Hicks 1-4, Donlow 1-3, Harden 0-2, Lewis-Buers 0-1 Wolter 0-6, Garret 0-2). Rebounds - UW-Stevens Point 40 (Iserloth 11); UW-Whitewater 32 (Hodges 6). Assists - UW-Stevens Point 21 (Kalsow 6, Krajnik 6); UW-Whitewater 9 (Garret 2, Wolter 2, Lewis-Byers 2, Donlow 2). Total fouls - UW-Stevens Point 25; UW-Whitewater 22 A - 834.