Saturday, January 18, 2003

Superior effort brings UWSP back
Stevens Point Journal
By Jerry Rhoden

As it turns out, the schedule couldn�t have laid out much better for the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point men, who laid another brick in the wall that has separated UW-Superior from the win column versus the Pointers.

Just three days after cold shooting in Whitewater contributed to its first loss of the season, UW-SP hit just over half of its field goals in a 69-53 domination of Superior on Saturday at Quandt Fieldhouse.

�If you can let one loss be just that, one loss, you�ll be OK,� said UW-SP coach Jack Bennett, whose Pointers (15-1, 6-1 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) reclaimed sole possession of first place after Stout knocked off Whitewater.

�We got back on track, said senior center Josh Iserloth, who led UW-SP with 19 points. �We got in that frame of mind of what we need to do."

Jason Kalsow put up 12 points and led the team with eight rebounds while battling Superior�s best player, 6-foot-7 forward Cody Kastern, who finished with a team high 18 points and 11 boards.

�We got into the post early and didn�t finish,� Superior coach Jeff Kaminsky said. �We weren�t going at the basket (hard) and demanding that fouls be called.�

�We were able to go inside early and often,� said Kalsow, who was aided by Kaminsky�s decision to sit Kastern for the first three minutes of the game as a disciplinary measure. �That�s when our perimeter started shooting the ball well.�

UW-SP hit a sizzling 62.5 percent of its first-half field goals and finished at 51 percent. The Pointers piled up a generous 11 first-half assists compared to just one by Superior. That couple with a noticeable boost in aggressiveness by role players such as Kyle Grusczynski, may be a testament not only to crisp ball handling but to an overall improvement from the Whitewater loss that Bennett hopes will carry into a two-game road trip to Oshkosh on Wednesday and at Stout the following Wednesday.

The contest marked the return of guard Ron Nolting, who missed four games due to an ankle injury that appeared initially to be a break.

�There�s always a little rust,� said Nolting who went 1-for-3 in limited action with a spirit-lifting 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer. �It�s good to get back to speed and mesh with the guys.�

Nolting turned his down time into study time, and he said it helped him refocus on his role with the team.

�On offense I could see where I really fit in,� he said. �I can be another shooter that the defense has to worry about.�