Saturday, January 4, 2003

UWSP wins 12th straight
Pointers roll past Blugolds
Stevens Point Journal

EAU CLAIRE  - In one game, the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point men's basketball team made an emphatic statement on a number of fronts, using senior Josh Iserloth as it's mouthpiece.

The visiting Pointers, ranked sixth in the nation in Division III, calmly walked into Zorn Arena and soundly handled a 15th-ranked UW-Eau Claire team 73-57 on Saturday night, led by a 30-point effort by Iserloth.

"This was a special game for us tonight.  We played a complete game of basketball," said UWSP head coach Jack Bennett.  "These kids earned this victory with a solid work ethic.  We started with defense, and maybe ended with it, but we did a lot of good things in between."

With the victory, Stevens Point remains perfect on the season with a 12-0 mark overall, a record which the Pointers have not attained since the 1935-36 season, when they finished with a 15-0 record.

In addition, UWSP takes the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference lead from the Blugolds (10-2, 3-1 WIAC) with a mark of 3-0.

Iserloth speared the charge early on for Stevens Point, scoring 14 points in the first half as the Pointers headed into the locker room with a 34-23 lead.  From there, UW-Eau Claire would never get closer than six points.  Iserloth finished shooting 10-of-17 from the floor and 10-of-12 from the free throw line.  Jason Kalsow added 13 points for UWSP.

"I think Josh really established an inside presence today," said Bennett.  "We all know he can shoot, but today he really went in and got the tough points."

The Blugolds main offensive threat for the evening came from Jason Larson, who led all scorers with 31 points.

The Pointers return to Quandt Fieldhouse for home games on Wednesday against UW-Platteville and Saturday against UW-La Crosse.