Wednesday, December 4, 2002

Pointers enjoy road trip to River Falls
Stevens Point Journal

RIVER FALLS - The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point men's basketball team discovered River Falls can be a nice place to visit this time of year.

UW-SP got off to an 8-2 start and never trailed en route to securing a 71-63 win against the Falcons in its Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener on Wednesday night.

"Down the stretch, the guys on defense did the job," said UW-SP head coach Jack Bennett. "This is exactly the kind of start we wanted."

It's the 16th straight win for the Pointers against the Falcons, and the 12th consecutive time UW-SP has won at the Karges Center.

Four of the Pointers' starters finished in double figures with Neal Krajnik and Jason Kalsow each scored 15 points. Josh Iserloth put up 11, while Ron Nolting finished with 10.

Kalsow also finished the game as the team's assist leader with eight and tied with Nick Bennett for a team-high eight rebounds.

The Pointers built an early lead, and then watched as the Falcons attempted to mount a comeback. River Falls eventually cut a double-digit deficit to four points three times in the second half.

The final gasp for River Falls (0-1 WIAC, 4-2) came when Rich Melzer - who finished with a game-best 25 points - hit a basket with 4:39 left in the game.

"He scored 25 points, but they were all earned points," Bennett said of the WIAC's leading scorer.

UW-SP responded with the next four points and never looked back.

Matt Kukla was also in double figures for the Falcons as he finished with 13 points.

The Pointers are back in action next Wednesday when they host UW-Stout. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at Quandt Fieldhouse.