Men�s Basketball Rolls Past Benedictine
in NCAA Tournament Opener
Box Score
UW-Stevens Point
has been one of the nation�s top defensive teams all season, but in
Thursday�s NCAA Division III tournament opener, the Pointers red-hot offense
was hitting on all cylinders in an 84-58 win over Benedictine (Ill.) at the
Quandt Fieldhouse.
The Pointers shot
55.2 percent in the first half and even bettered that mark by hitting 62.5
percent in the second half to roll past the Eagles, who entered the game
with the nation�s 16th best defense at 61.8 points per game. UW-Stevens
Point, which ranks 12th nationally in field goal percentage, finished at
58.5 percent shooting for the game.
With the victory,
the Pointers are now 24-5 overall and set up a second round rematch with
last year�s Division III runner-up Gustavus Adolphus, which beat UW-Stevens
Point 75-62 on its way to the national title game. The game is set for 7
p.m. on Saturday in St. Peter, Minn.
UW-Stevens Point
opened Thursday�s game by hitting eight of its first 12 shots and opening up
a 14-7 lead five minutes into the game with an 8-0 run after Benedictine
grabbed an early 7-6 advantage. Nick Bennett connected on his first four
three-point shot attempts in the first 10 minutes of the game and had 17 of
his game-high 24 points in the first half. The Pointers continued to build
the lead throughout the half and Neal Krajnik drained a three-pointer at the
first half buzzer to bring a 46-29 lead into halftime.
UW-Stevens Point
didn�t cool off in the second half, scoring the first nine points while
hitting its first four shots to push the lead to 55-32 with 17:38 left in
the game.
�I thought the key
was that we played really well in the first half and then we took control
immediately in the first five or six minutes of the second half,� UW-Stevens
Point coach Jack Bennett said. �I knew it would be hard for them to come
back at that point.�
Much like the
first half, the Pointers continued to gradually build on the lead, pushing
the advantage to as many as 28 points at 77-49 with 6:13 remaining.
UW-Stevens Point, which ranks sixth nationally in defense, had another
strong effort, holding the Eagles to 33.9 percent shooting for the game.
Bennett finished
eight-for-12 from the floor and five-for-eight from three-point range. Jon
Krull and Jason Kalsow each added 10 points for the Pointers. Benedictine
was led by Matt Harrison with 19 points.
Jack Bennett is
excited about the rematch with Gustavus Adolphus and happy to have an
opening round victory as well after having a first round bye last year.
�It�s different
this year, we won on Thursday and they�re waiting around,� he said. �In
every great tournament run, you have to win a big game in an upset and we�re
excited to go over there and play on Saturday.� |
